Design, synthesis and biological assessment of SERS guided cell surface glycan modifications and anticalcification properties of nano-rhein

Abstract

Understanding biological processes is essential for detecting diseases and initiating appropriate treatments. There is a need for methods that enable fast, specific, and sensitive detection in complex biological environments. Glycosylation is a major post-translational modification that is prevalent in most eukaryotes. Notably, glycans cover the cell surface and play a decisive role in cell-cell interactions and cell migration during various physiological processes such as fertilization, embryogenesis and immune responses. Raman imaging has emerged as a promising technique for glycan detection due to its high sensitivity. When combined with non-destructive Raman spectroscopy, metabolic labeling allows for the visualization and identification of specific biomolecules within the cells, facilitating the study of intricate biological processes at a molecular level.