Intracellular effect of synergistic action of N-TiO2 nanoparticles and blue light on HeLa cervical cancer cells: Raman spectroscopic study

3rd International Conference on Chemo and BioInformatics, Kragujevac, September 25-26. 2025. (pp. 147-147) 

 

AUTOR(I) / AUTHOR(S): Iva Popović, Maja D. Nešić, Irina Estrela-Lopis, Tom Venus, Lela Korićanac, Djordje Kapuran, Milutin Stepić, Mioljub Nešić and Marijana Petković

 

Download Full Pdf   

DOI:  10.46793/ICCBIKG25.144P

SAŽETAK / ABSTRACT:

Unlike titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), nitrogen-doped TiO2 NPs (N- TiO2 NPs) absorb the light in the visible spectrum, thus showing a high potential to be used as photosensitisers in photodynamic therapy (PDT). This promising approach, with its localised effect and minimal side effects, could significantly improve cancer treatment. The shift in absorption towards higher wavelengths, enabled by nitrogen doping, makes N-TiO2 NPs a safer option for PDT for various types of cancer, instilling hope for the future.

In this work, we have investigated changes in the structure of biomolecules in HeLa cells treated with N-TiO2 NPs in the dark or combination with blue light (405 nm). To do that, we applied the molecular imaging technique, i.e. Confocal Raman Microscopy (CRM), and acquired spectra and images of HeLa cervical cancer cells subjected to treatment with two concentrations of N-TiO2 NPs (2.5 µg/mL and 7.5 µg/mL) in the dark, and upon blue light illumination. The results are statistically analysed. The most notable changes in lipids and proteins occurred when HeLa cells were treated with a higher concentration of N-TiO2 NPs combined with blue light.

KLJUČNE REČI / KEYWORDS:

HeLa cells, Confocal Raman microscopy, Principal component analysis

PROJEKAT / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

This work was funded by the Serbian Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation (451-03-136/2025-03/ 200017).

LITERATURA / REFERENCES:

  • M. A. Behnam, F. Emami, Z. Sobhani, A. R. Dehghanian., The application of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in the photo-thermal therapy of melanoma cancer model, Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences, 21 (2018) 1133-1139.
  • M. A. Moosavi, M. Sharifi, S.M. Ghafary, Z. Mohammadalipour, A. Khataee, M. Rahmati, S. Hajjaran, M.J. Los, T. Klonisch, S. Ghavami., Photodynamic N-TiO2 Nanoparticle Treatment Induces Controlled ROS-mediated Autophagy and Terminal Differentiation of Leukaemia Cells, Scientific Reports, 6 (2016) 34413
  • N. Uzunbajakava, A. Lenferink, Y. Kraan, E. Volokhina, G. Vrensen, J. Greve, C. Otto., Nonresonant Confocal Raman Imaging of DNA and Protein Distribution in Apoptotic Cells, Biophysical Journal, 84 (2003) 3968-3981.
  • V. J. Lin, J.L. Koenig., Raman studies of bovine serum albumin, Biopolymers, 15 (1976) 203-18.
  • L. Ashton, K. Lau, C.L. Winder, R. Goodacre., Raman Spectroscopy: Lighting up the Future of Microbial Identification, Future Microbiology, 6 (2011) 991-997.
  • B. Lorenz, C. Wichmann, S. Stöckel, P. Rösch, J. Popp, Cultivation-Free Raman Spectroscopic Investigations of Bacteria, Trends in Microbiology, 25 (2017) 413-424.
  • M. Matijević, „Investigations of the interaction of photosensitive nanocomposite system based on undoped and doped titanium oxide nanoparticles with biomolecules and cells“, PhD thesis, University of Niš, 2022.