Advances in the Application of Exosomes Identification Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for the Early Detection of Cancers

Abstract

Exosomes are small nanoscale vesicles with a double-layered lipid membrane structure secreted by cells, and almost all types of cells can secrete exosomes. Exosomes carry a variety of biologically active contents such as nucleic acids and proteins, and play an important role not only in intercellular information exchange and signal transduction, but also in various pathophysiological processes in the human body. Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) uses light to interact with nanostructured materials such as gold and silver to produce a strong surface plasmon resonance effect, which can significantly enhance the Raman signal of molecules adsorbed on the surface of nanostructures to obtain a rich fingerprint of the sample itself or Raman probe molecules with ultra-sensitivity. The unique advantages of SERS, such as non-invasive and high sensitivity, good selectivity, fast analysis speed, and low water interference, make it a promising technology for life science and clinical testing applications. In this paper, we briefly introduce exosomes and the current main detection methods. We also describe the basic principles of SERS and the progress of the application of unlabeled and labeled SERS in exosome detection. This paper also summarizes the value of SERS-based exosome assays for early tumor diagnosis.

Nanoparticles in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

“…Researchers have also looked into using metal nanoparticles to identify exosomes, tiny extracellular vesicles released by cancer cells, as a means of early cancer diagnosis. High-sensitivity exosome detection has been achieved by combining gold nanoparticles with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) [20].…”

Current Trends of Raman Spectroscopy in Clinic Settings: Opportunities and Challenges

“…They can induce collective oscillations of free electrons on the surface, significantly enhancing the intensity of Raman signals. [33,34] The latter is used to enhance the Raman signal via a charge-transfer mechanism, which requires the examined materials to be adhered or glued directly to a rough metal substrate. These materials can undergo charge transfer to the metal surface to enhance the Raman signal.…”

Current status and outlook of advances in exosome isolation

“…When compared with ultracentrifugation or SEC, this method exhibits the advantages of simplicity, scalability, high yield, no deformation of exosomes, and can be used for a large number of samples without additional equipment [ 9 ]. Additionally, it can be used to quickly diagnose diseases by integrating various detection platforms for exosome (or protein/genetic material content) analysis [ 40 ]. These advantages show that this method has potential advantages for future clinical research.…”