Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a label-free technique that enables quick monitoring of substances at low concentrations in biological matrices. These advantages make it an attractive tool for the development of point-of-care tests suitable for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) of drugs with a narrow therapeutic window, such as chemotherapeutic drugs, immunosuppressants, and various anticonvulsants. In this article, the current applications of SERS in the field of TDM for cancer therapy are discussed in detail and illustrated according to the different strategies and substrates. In particular, future perspectives are provided and special concerns regarding the standardization of self-assembly methods and nanofabrication procedures, quality assurance, and technology readiness are critically evaluated.

The intracellular pH plays an important role in various cellular processes.

A sensitive and accurate identification of specific DNA fragments (usually containing a mutation) can influence clinical decisions. Standard methods routinely used for this type of detection are PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction, and its modifications), and, less commonly, NGS (Next Generation Sequencing). However, these methods are quite complicated, requiring time-consuming, multi-stage sample preparation, and specially trained staff. Usually, it takes weeks for patients to obtain their results. Therefore, different DNA sensors are being intensively developed by many groups. One technique often used to obtain an analytical signal from DNA sensors is Raman spectroscopy. Its modification, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), is especially useful for practical analytical applications due to its extra low limit of detection. SERS takes advantage of the strong increase in the efficiency of Raman signal generation caused by a local electric field enhancement near plasmonic (typically gold and silver) nanostructures. In this condensed review, we describe the most important types of SERS-based nanosensors for genetic studies and comment on their potential for becoming diagnostic tools.

A significant number of studies report growing resistance in nematodes thriving in both humans and livestock. This study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo anthelmintic efficiency of Curcubita pepo (C. pepo) L. hot water extract (HWE), cold water extract (CWE) or ethanol extract (ETE) on two model nematodes: Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and Heligmosoides bakeri (H. bakeri). Methods: Raman, IR and LC-MS spectroscopy analyses were performed on the studied plant material to deliver qualitative and quantitative data on the composition of the obtained extracts: ETE, HWE and CWE. The in vitro activity evaluation showed an impact of C. pepo extracts on C. elegans and different developmental stages of H. bakeri. The following in vivo experiments on mice infected with H. bakeri confirmed inhibitory properties of the most active pumpkin extract selected by the in vitro study. All of the extracts were found to contain cucurbitine, aminoacids, fatty acids, and-for the first time-berberine and palmatine were identified. All C. pepo seed extracts exhibited a nematidicidal potential in vitro, affecting the survival of L1 and L2 H. bakeri larvae. The ETE was the strongest and demonstrated a positive effect on H. bakeri eggs hatching and marked inhibitory properties against worm motility, compared to a PBS control. No significant effects of pumpkin seed extracts on C. elegans integrity or motility were found. The EtOH extract in the in vivo studies showed anthelmintic properties against both H. bakeri fecal egg counts and adult worm burdens. The highest egg counts reduction was observed for the 8 g/kg dose (IC₅₀ against H. bakeri = 2.43; 95% Cl = 2.01–2.94). A decrease in faecal egg counts (FEC) was accompanied by a significant reduction in worm burden of the treated mice compared to the control group. Conclusions: Pumpkin seed extracts may be used to control of Gastrointestinal (G.I.) nematode infections. This relatively inexpensive alternative to the currently available chemotherapeutic should be considered as a novel drug candidate in the nearest future.

In this paper we have presented the first example of multiplexing pH and redox responsive SERS nanosensors for intracellular live single cell measurement on a cell by cell basis.

Fluorescence and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy were employed to investigate the cellular uptake of rhodamine 6G (R6G) alone and of R6G loaded with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by endothelial cells. R6G plays the role of a Raman reporter in SERS but also displays strong fluorescence. The presence of bare R6G molecules and R6G-AuNPs in the cytoplasm of the cells is detected via the 2D fluorescence of the dye after a 0.5 h of the incubation with R6G and R6G-AuNPs, and then the concentration of the dye increases within 4 h of exposure. The examination of the cellular uptake of the R6G and R6G-AuNPs species at different temperatures suggests that the internalization of the R6G-AuNPs into endothelial cells occurs mainly via endocytosis. 3D fluorescence imaging of R6G inside cells reveals inhomogeneous distribution of the dye in the cytoplasm. The SERS signal of the Raman reporter inside the cell disappears after 2 h of incubation with R6G-AuNPs and then amino acid residues, purines and pyrimidines become SERS-active via their interactions with the gold. The results highlight the significance of using multiple techniques to cover a spectrum of issues in the application of SERS nanosensors for probing an intracellular environment under comparable and standardized conditions. Cellular uptake of bare rhodamine 6G and rhodamine 6G adsorbed onto AuNPs were studied on endothelial cells using fluorescence and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The internalization of R6G-AuNPs occurs via endocytosis and diffusion resulting in uneven distribution in the cytoplasm.