Wojciech M. Kwiatek

Analysis of human cancer prostate tissues using FTIR microspectroscopy and SRIXE techniques

Abstract It is known that Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of human tissues are specific and can be used to discriminate between various disease states. In this study, cancer and healthy parts of prostate tissues were examined. The human prostate tissues were obtained during surgical operation. Sections of samples were mounted onto Mylar foils and measured by both FTIR microspectroscopy and synchrotron radiation induced X-ray emission (SRIXE) methods. Neighboring sections of tissues analyzed by FTIR and SRIXE were also examined by a histopathologist. Since the SRIXE technique is suitable for trace element analysis the two-dimensional scans on both cancerous and non-cancerous parts of the prostate tissues were done in order to find elemental distribution of trace elements. The single point analysis on selected areas were also performed. Then the same samples were studied in the mid infrared region on Excalibur spectrometer with infrared microscope UMA-500 equipped with an automatic xy-stage and video camera. Both FTIR spectra and elemental distribution show differences between cancerous and non-cancerous parts of the analyzed tissues.

Biological applications of synchrotron radiation infrared spectromicroscopy

Extremely brilliant infrared (IR) beams provided by synchrotron radiation sources are now routinely used in many facilities with available commercial spectrometers coupled to IR microscopes. Using these intense non-thermal sources, a brilliance two or three order of magnitude higher than a conventional source is achievable through small pinholes (<10 μm) with a high signal to-noise ratio. IR spectroscopy is a powerful technique to investigate biological systems and offers many new imaging opportunities. The field of infrared biological imaging covers a wide range of fundamental issues and applied researches such as cell imaging or tissue imaging. Molecular maps with a spatial resolution down to the diffraction limit may be now obtained with a synchrotron radiation IR source also on thick samples. Moreover, changes of the protein structure are detectable in an IR spectrum and cellular molecular markers can be identified and used to recognize a pathological status of a tissue. Molecular structure and functions are strongly correlated and this aspect is particularly relevant for imaging. We will show that the brilliance of synchrotron radiation IR sources may enhance the sensitivity of a molecular signal obtained from small biosamples, e.g., a single cell, containing extremely small amounts of organic matter. We will also show that SR IR sources allow to study chemical composition and to identify the distribution of organic molecules in cells at submicron resolution is possible with a high signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, the recent availability of two-dimensional IR detectors promises to push forward imaging capabilities in the time domain. Indeed, with a high current synchrotron radiation facility and a Focal Plane Array the chemical imaging of individual cells can be obtained in a few minutes. Within this framework important results are expected in the next years using synchrotron radiation and Free Electron Laser (FEL) sources for spectro-microscopy and spectral-imaging, alone or in combination with Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy methods to study the molecular composition and dynamic changes in samples of biomedical interest at micrometric and submicrometric scales, respectively.

TRACE ELEMENTS DISTRIBUTION IN RENAL CELL CARCINOMA DEPENDING ON STAGE OF DISEASE

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to identify those trace elements which can be used to distinguish between normal and malignant tissue in renal cell cancer (RCC) kidney and to assess changes in trace elements concentration in tissue with progressing malignant disease. METHODS In case control study, 36 cases of RCC were analyzed by Synchrotron Radiation Induced X-ray Emission (SRIXE) in order to establish the concentration of 19 elements. Patients with RCC were examined to obtain staging of disease after radical nephrectomy, which was performed in each case. Results were compared with 15 control kidney cortex tissue obtained during autopsy in which cause of death was trauma. RESULTS The most relevant decrease was detected in Cd content: from 81 +/- 39.2 ppm in normal control samples to 16.6 +/- 22.2 ppm concentration in RCC. We found that the concentrations of Ti, Pb and Rb were also lower in RCC tissue. On the other hand, the RCC tissue was rich in iron and zirconium. With the progress of malignant disease, assessed by TNM (UICC 1997) scale, lower concentration of S and higher concentration of Ca in both RCC and neoplastic kidney cortex can be seen. The same tendency is observed in Zn and Se concentrations. Cadmium shows raising concentration with progress of RCC only in cortex of neoplastic kidney. In all cases it was shown that the relatively high tissue concentration of iron in both investigated tissues is decreasing with the progress of disease. The zirconium has shown raising tissue concentration in advanced disease. CONCLUSION Trace elements concentration is different in malignant tissue and surrounding macroscopically unchanged kidney cortex. Progress of the disease is connected with changes in trace elements concentration. This may reflect different biology of compared tissue with potential practical implication.

Comparative endothelial profiling of doxorubicin and daunorubicin in cultured endothelial cells.

Although anthracycline antibiotics have been successfully used for nearly half a century in the treatment of various malignancies, their use is limited by their cardiac and vascular toxicities, and the mechanisms of these toxicities are still not entirely clear. Herein, we comprehensively characterized cytotoxic effects of two structurally related anthracyclines, doxorubicin and daunorubicin. In nanomolar concentrations, both drugs induced DNA damage and increased nuclear area that were associated with their accumulation in the nucleus (doxorubicin ⩾50 nM and daunorubicin ⩾25 nM) as evidence by Raman microspectroscopy at 3820-4245 cm(-1). At low micromolar concentrations, doxorubicin (⩾5 μM) and daunorubicin (⩾1 μM) increased the generation of reactive oxygen species, decreased intracellular reduced glutathione, induced an alteration in endothelial elasticity and caused a reorganization of the F-actin cytoskeleton. In isolated mouse aortic rings, doxorubicin (⩾50 μM) was less potent than daunorubicin (⩾5 μM) in impairing the endothelium-dependent response. In summary, using a comprehensive endothelial profiling approach, we demonstrated clear-cut differences in the potencies to induce endotheliotoxic responses for two structurally similar chemotherapeutics, at a nuclear, cytosolic and membrane levels. Furthermore, our results suggest that the differences in the endothelial toxicities of doxorubicin and daunorubicin are linked to differences in their nuclear accumulation and the DNA damage-triggered response of the endothelium.

Application of SRIXE and XANES to the determination of the oxidation state of iron in prostate tissue sections

Normal prostate and cancerous prostate tissue sections were analyzed using synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray emission and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) at the X-26A microprobe beam line located at the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA. In both measurements, a monochromatic beam of size of 16×14 μm2 was applied. Two-dimensional scans of selected areas of non-cancerous and cancerous tissue sections were performed in order to obtain the distributions of various trace element concentrations. The XANES spectra were recorded for selected points containing high concentrations of iron. These measurements were performed with the aim of determining the oxidation state of iron. It was found that the iron concentration was much higher in the cancerous sections of the analyzed tissues than in the non-cancerous sections. From the results of XANES spectra analysis, iron in cancerous prostate tissue sections mostly occurs in the +3 oxidation state.

Preliminary study on the distribution of selected elements in cancerous and non-cancerous kidney tissues

In this study special interest was given to trace elements recognized as to be carcinogenic to humans. The kidney tissue sections were analyzed in order to determine the concentrations of elements present in the sample. The Synchrotron Radiation Induced X-ray Emission (SRIXE) technique was applied using a white photon microbeam. The results from cancerous parts of the kidney tissues were compared to non-cancerous parts and to the control group. In addition the iron concentration level was determined in the serum of those patients. Two-dimensional scans are presented to illustrate the differences between perfused and not-perfused tissues. According to this study there is no significant difference in the Mn concentration between cancerous and non-cancerous parts of the kidney, but the concentrations of Cd, Cr, Ti, V, Cu, Se, and Zn are at a lower concentration level in the cancerous parts than in the non-cancerous parts. A converse observation has been made for Fe. This may be associated with different metabolism and dynamics of the cancer process and both higher vascularization and need of higher blood supply in the cancerous tissue. The two-dimensional scanning of thin kidney sections showed differences in the trace element distributions depending on the analyzed samples: perfused and non-perfused. Perfusion removed blood mostly from the peritubular capillaries while in the glomerulus some capillaries had a relatively high Fe content. A low Fe concentration was observed in nephron tubules while a converse observation has been made for Cd. This may indicate that Cd is localized in the cells but not in the blood.

Correlation of concentrations of selected trace elements with Gleason grade of prostate tissues

The causes of prostate cancer are still obscure but some evidence indicates that there is a close connection between several trace elements and processes which may lead to malignant cells. In our study the microbeam synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence emission (micro-SRIXE) technique was applied for quantitative analysis of selected elements. For the first time, we correlate the concentrations of Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn with the clinical stage of the prostate cancer at the time of operation (described by Gleason grade). Serial sections of prostate tissues were collected from patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. One section, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, was prepared for histopathological analysis; a second, adjacent unstained section was used in micro-SRIXE experiments. All experiments were performed at beamline L at HASYLAB, DESY, Germany. Our results seem to be valuable in light of the determination of the changes in the concentrations of trace elements as a potential diagnostic marker and their etiological involvement in the different stages of prostate diseases.

Trace element analysis by means of synchrotron radiation, XRF, and PIXE: selection of sample preparation procedure

Abstract When it comes to biological samples, trace element (TE) determination has to cope with very low concentrations, sometimes even below the minimum detectable limit (MDL). This is why special sample preparation procedures have to be employed so that the TE concentration in the specimen is effectively enhanced in a known way. The aim of this study was the selection of a proper sample preparation procedure by determination of selected element concentrations in different types of biological samples. In this work several sample preparation procedures were applied in order to choose the best one for specific experimental needs. The methods included: (a) tissue sectioning method (if appropriate); (b) dry method without chemical treatment — the samples were dried, homogenized and pressed into pellet; (c) wet method with chemical treatment — the samples were mineralized. The analyses were performed with different analytical methods in order to confirm the results obtained and in order to determine the influence of target preparation procedure on the level of elemental concentrations determination. The measurements were done by means of SRIXE (synchrotron radiation induced X-ray emission), EDXRF (energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence), TR-XRF (total reflection X-ray fluorescence), and PIXE (proton-induced X-ray emission). The above methods are described and the analytical results discussed. The results of the elemental analyses performed with different techniques show a good agreement only for some elements. The mineralization process increases the sensitivity of elemental determination only for selected elements. In other cases one could observe decreasing of elemental concentration in respect to non mineralized samples. Selection of sample preparation procedure depends on analytical requirements.

Micro-Spectrometric Investigations of Inorganic Components of the Black Corals for Biomedical Applications

The distribution of about twenty inorganic elements was traced in the skeletons of black corals of the Antipathes salix species. Electron microprobe and PIXE mappings revealed the peculiar structure of this material, composed of the large cells (arranged in annual rings), surrounded by thin layers with an elevated level of iodine (up to 5%). Our current knowledge of the chemical composition of these corals’ skeleton is not complete. Essentially the organic skeleton is saturated with inorganic elements and several of these could be commercially important. In fact, they have never been investigated for biomedical applications. In this preliminary current work, black corals from the Antipathes salix species were studied with the aim of detecting the inorganic components of their matrix and their suitability as biomedical materials.

Novel in situ methodology to observe the interactions of chemotherapeutical Pt drugs with DNA under physiological conditions

The binding of the antitumor drug cisplatin with DNA was determined by means of in situ resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectroscopy. Because of the penetrating properties of hard X-rays, we could determine, under physiological conditions, the identity and number of platinum complexes present. In situ RIXS revealed that under physiological conditions, water molecules replace chloride ligands owing to drug hydration. The subsequent interaction with DNA, led to the bonding of the aqua complexes into the DNA structure with simultaneous loss of the coordinating water and chloride ion. The data analysis reveals that Pt is coordinated by two adjacent guanines giving cis-[Pt(NH3)2{d(GpG)-N7(1),-N7(2)}] upon losing its coordinating water or chloride ligands.