Raman microspectroscopy of nanodiamond-induced structural changes in albumin

Abstract

Nanodiamonds (NDs) are promising agents for theranostic applications due to reported low toxicity and high biocompatibility, which is still being extensively tested on cellular, tissue, and organism levels. It is presumed that for experimental and future clinical applications, NDs will be administered into the organism via the blood circulation system. In this regard, the interaction of NDs with blood components needs to be thoroughly studied. We studied the interaction of carboxylated NDs (cNDs) with albumin, one of the major proteins of blood plasma. After 2-h long in vitro incubation in an aqueous solution of the protein, 100-nm cNDs were dried and the dry samples were studied with the aid of Raman microspectroscopy. The spectroscopic data indicate significant conformational changes that can be due to cND–protein interaction. A possible decrease in the functional activity of albumin related to the conformational changes must be taken into account in the in vivo applications.

Raman Enhancement of Blood Constituent Proteins Using Graphene

“…In summary, we demonstrate for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that Raman signal of biomolecules is enhanced when measured in contact with graphene. Our results indicate that GERS enables facile observation of Raman fingerprints of the two biomolecules, Hb and Alb, which also reveals the different attributes of biomolecules itself, such as oxidation state (e.g., ferric or ferrous heme renders frequency shift of the 1376 cm –1 Raman mode), structure − and environment. , For the 532 nm excitation, the enhancement factor changes with different Raman modes and concentration of the solution. Interestingly, while the Raman signals of the Alb, with very low concentration and low irradiance, is not observable without graphene substrate, the Raman modes are clearly seen when the biomolecules are in contact with graphene, enabling the sensitive detection of biomolecules even in nonresonant Raman regime.…”

To the Jubilee of Professor Alexander Priezzhev

“…On the eve of the jubilee, Alexander was awarded the MSU First Prise for the scientific publications in the frames of the MSU Programme of Development (2016). This award characterises well the scientific J of Biomedical Photonics & Eng 3 112 Apr 2017 © JBPE 010102-4 achievements, wide scope and prospects of the scientific field, developed by Alexander at present time, it is sufficient just to read the titles of some papers for which this prise was awarded [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

Fluorescent Gold Nanoparticles in Suspension as an Efficient Theranostic Agent for Highly Radio-Resistant Cancer Cells

“…There are some possible destructive effects as a result of the use of nanoparticles. These include oxidative stress and cell apoptosis [7,8] within cells as well structural changes in the proteins within blood plasma [9]. In general, however, the benefits of the use of nanoparticles for the treatment of cancer far outweigh the potential risk of nanoparticle accumulation, particularly considering the already extensive use of nanoparticles.…”