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Multimodal Imaging and Soft X‐Ray Tomography of Fluorescent Nanodiamonds in Cancer Cells
Author(s) -
Reineck Philipp,
Abraham Amanda N.,
Poddar Arpita,
Shukla Ravi,
Abe Hiroshi,
Ohshima Takeshi,
Gibson Brant C.,
Dekiwadia Chaitali,
Conesa José J.,
Pereiro Eva,
Gelmi Amy,
Bryant Gary
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.144
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1860-7314
pISSN - 1860-6768
DOI - 10.1002/biot.202000289
Subject(s) - microscale chemistry , nanotechnology , materials science , fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy , microscopy , confocal , fluorescence , optics , medicine , pathology , physics , mathematics education , mathematics
Abstract Multimodal imaging promises to revolutionize the understanding of biological processes across scales in space and time by combining the strengths of multiple imaging techniques. Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) are biocompatible, chemically inert, provide high contrast in light‐ and electron‐based microscopy, and are versatile optical quantum sensors. Here it is demonstrated that FNDs also provide high absorption contrast in nanoscale 3D soft X‐ray tomograms with a resolution of 28 nm in all dimensions. Confocal fluorescence, atomic force, and scanning electron microscopy images of FNDs inside and on the surface of PC3 cancer cells with sub‐micrometer precision are correlated. FNDs are found inside ≈1 µm sized vesicles present in the cytoplasm, providing direct evidence of the active uptake of bare FNDs by cancer cells. Imaging artefacts are quantified and separated from changes in cell morphology caused by sample preparation. These results demonstrate the utility of FNDs in multimodal imaging, contribute to the understanding of the fate of FNDs in cells, and open up new possibilities for biological imaging and sensing across the nano‐ and microscale.