Jagiellonian Centre for Experimental Therapeutics (JCET), Jagiellonian University, 14 Bobrzynskiego Str., 30-348 Krakow, Poland.
Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, 2 Gronostajowa Str., 30-387 Krakow, Poland.
Molecules. 2020 Dec 6;25(23):5752. doi: 10.3390/molecules25235752.
Endothelial cells (EC) constitute a single layer of the lining of blood vessels and play an important role in maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis. Endothelial dysfunction has been recognized as a primary or secondary cause of many diseases and it manifests itself, among others, by increased lipid content or a change in the lipid composition in the EC. Therefore, the analysis of cellular lipids is crucial to understand the mechanisms of disease development. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-induced inflammation of EC alters the lipid content of cells, which can be detected by Raman spectroscopy. By default, lipid detection is carried out in a label-free manner, and these compounds are recognized based on their spectral profile characteristics. We consider (3S,3'S)-astaxanthin (AXT), a natural dye with a characteristic resonance spectrum, as a new Raman probe for the detection of lipids in the EC of various vascular beds, i.e., the aorta, brain and heart. AXT colocalizes with lipids in cells, enabling imaging of lipid-rich cellular components in a time-dependent manner using laser power 10 times lower than that commonly used to measure biological samples. The results show that AXT can be used to study lipids distribution in EC at various locations, suggesting its use as a universal probe for studying cellular lipids using Raman spectroscopy. The use of labeled Raman imaging of lipids in the EC of various organs could contribute to their easier identification and to a better understanding of the development and progression of various vascular diseases, and it could also potentially improve their diagnosis and treatment.
内皮细胞（EC）构成血管衬里的单层，在维持心血管稳态方面发挥着重要作用。内皮功能障碍已被认为是许多疾病的主要或次要原因，其表现之一是脂质含量增加或 EC 中脂质组成的变化。因此，分析细胞脂质对于理解疾病发展机制至关重要。肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）诱导的 EC 炎症会改变细胞的脂质含量，这可以通过拉曼光谱来检测。默认情况下，以无标记的方式进行脂质检测，并且根据其光谱特征来识别这些化合物。我们考虑（3S，3'S）-虾青素（AXT），一种具有特征共振光谱的天然染料，作为一种新的拉曼探针，用于检测各种血管床（即主动脉、大脑和心脏）的 EC 中的脂质。AXT 与细胞中的脂质共定位，从而能够以比通常用于测量生物样品低 10 倍的激光功率，以时间依赖性的方式对富含脂质的细胞成分进行成像。结果表明，AXT 可用于研究不同位置 EC 中的脂质分布，这表明它可用作使用拉曼光谱研究细胞脂质的通用探针。使用各种器官 EC 中脂质的标记拉曼成像可能有助于更轻松地识别它们，并更好地理解各种血管疾病的发展和进展，还可能潜在地改善它们的诊断和治疗。
