Tracking of the biochemical changes upon pleomorphic adenoma progression using vibrational microspectroscopy

Differentiation of Salivary Gland and Salivary Gland Tumor Tissue via Raman Imaging Combined with Multivariate Data Analysis

Salivary gland tumors (SGTs) are a relevant, highly diverse subgroup of head and neck tumors whose entity determination can be difficult. Confocal Raman imaging in combination with multivariate data analysis may possibly support their correct classification. For the analysis of the translational potential of Raman imaging in SGT determination, a multi-stage evaluation process is necessary. By measuring a sample set of Warthin tumor, pleomorphic adenoma and non-tumor salivary gland tissue, Raman data were obtained and a thorough Raman band analysis was performed. This evaluation revealed highly overlapping Raman patterns with only minor spectral differences. Consequently, a principal component analysis (PCA) was calculated and further combined with a discriminant analysis (DA) to enable the best possible distinction. The PCA-DA model was characterized by accuracy, sensitivity, selectivity and precision values above 90% and validated by predicting model-unknown Raman spectra, of which 93% were classified correctly. Thus, we state our PCA-DA to be suitable for parotid tumor and non-salivary salivary gland tissue discrimination and prediction. For evaluation of the translational potential, further validation steps are necessary.

Spectroscopic imaging to assess biochemical alterations in liver carcinoma cells exposed to transition metals

Despite the invaluable role of transition metals in every living organism, it should be remembered that failure to maintain the proper balance and exceed the appropriate dose may have the opposite effect. In the era of such a popular and propagated need for supplementation in the media, one should bear in mind the harmful effects that may become the result of improper and excessive intake of transition metals. This article establishes the feasibility of Raman (RS) and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic imaging at the single-cell level to investigate the cellular response to various transition metals. These two non-destructive and perfectly complementary methods allow for in-depth monitoring of changes taking place within the cell under the influence of the agent used. HepG2 liver carcinoma cells were exposed to chromium, iron, cobalt, molybdenum, and nickel at 1 and 2 mM concentrations. Spectroscopic results were further supported by biological evaluation of selected caspases concentration. The caspase- 3, 6, 8, 9, and 12 concentrations were determined with the use of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. This study shows the induction of apoptosis in the intrinsic pathway by all studied transition metals. Cellular metabolism alterations are induced by mitochondrial metabolism changes and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) metabolism variations. Moreover, nickel induces not only the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis but also the extrinsic pathway of this process.

Nanoscale insight into biochemical changes in cervical cancer cells exposed to adaptogenic drug

This paper describes for the first time the application of atomic force microscopy-based infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) to evaluate cellular response to adaptogen, based on an in vitro model of cervical cancer. HeLa cervical cells were exposed to different concentrations of withaferin A, a very promising anti-cancer adaptogenic substance. AFM-IR approach was used to image single cells post-adaptogen treatment and to track subtle biochemical changes in cells at the nanoscale level. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was applied to build predictive models that allowed for the identification of spectral markers of adaptogen-induced alterations Spectroscopic studies were enriched with fluorescence staining to determine whether the adaptogen affects cell morphology. The results showed that with the increase in the concentration of adaptogen, changes in the cell nucleus and the actin cytoskeleton become more and more significant. It has been demonstrated that the AFM-IR technique can successfully study the cellular response to the anti-cancer agent at the single-cell level with nanoscale spatial resolution. On the basis of the promising findings presented in this paper, it is possible to conclude that withaferin A has great potential in inhibiting the proliferation of cervical cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. It has been found that both the increase in the concentration of withaferin A and the increase in incubation time with the adaptogen resulted in a decrease in the intensity of the bands assigned to nucleic acids. This may be due to DNA condensation, internuclear cleavage, or degradation during apoptosis. The findings also suggest changes in the secondary structure of proteins that may be a consequence of disruption of the actin cytoskeleton, progressive apoptosis, or significant biochemical changes. Furthermore, noticeable changes were also observed in the bands originating from lipids vibrations, and an increased share of the band near 2920 cm^-1, considered an important marker of apoptosis, was noted. The metabolism of carbohydrates in cells also changes under the influence of the adaptogen. AFM-IR provides nanoscale insight into the structural and morphological properties of cells after drug treatment and is an indisputable milestone in the development of new anti-cancer approaches.

Adaptogenic activity of withaferin A on human cervical carcinoma cells using high-definition vibrational spectroscopic imaging

Despite invaluable advances in cervical cancer therapy, treatment regimens for recurrent or persistent cancers and low-toxicity alternative treatment options are scarce. In recent years, substances classified as adaptogens have been identified as promising drug sources for preventing and treating cancer-based diseases on their ability to attack multiple molecular targets. This paper establishes the effectiveness of inhibition of the neoplastic process by a withaferin A (WFA), an adaptogenic substance, based on an in vitro model of cervical cancer. This study explores for the first time the potential of high-definition vibrational spectroscopy methods, i.e. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopic (RS) imaging at the single-cell level to evaluate the efficacy of the adaptogenic drug. HeLa cervical cancer cells were incubated with various concentrations of WFA at different incubation times. The multimodal spectroscopic approach combined with partial least squares (PLS) regression allowed the identification of molecular changes (e.g., lipids, protein secondary structures, or nucleic acids) induced by WFA at the cellular level. The results clearly illustrate the enormous potential of WFA in inhibiting the proliferation of cervical cancer cells. WFA inhibited the growth of the studied cancer cell line in a dose-dependent manner. Such studies provide comprehensive information on the sensitivity of cells to adaptogenic drugs. This is a fundamental step towards determining the rate and nature of adaptogen-induced changes in cancer cells.

The INFN-LNF present and future accelerator-based light facilities

The INFN-Frascati National Laboratory (LNF) is nowadays running a 0.51 GeV electron-positron collider, DA Φ NE, that also represents the synchrotron radiation source of the beamlines of the DA Φ NE-Light facility. Not being DA Φ NE dedicated to synchrotron radiations activities, the DA Φ NE-Light facility can use it mainly in parasitic mode. Particle accelerators and high energy physics (HEP) have been and are the main core of the LNF research activity, but like other HEP international laboratories also LNF is now moving in the direction of developing a dedicated free electron laser (FEL) user facility, EuPRAXIA@SPARC_Lab, based on plasma acceleration. This new facility in the framework of the EuPRAXIA (European Plasma Research Accelerator with eXcellence in Applications) EU project should produce FEL radiation beams for a wide range of applications using a smaller accelerator compared to actual radio frequency-based accelerator sources dimensions.