Cellular imaging of endosome entrapped small gold nanoparticles

Small gold nanoparticles (sAuNPs, <10 nm in a core diameter) have been used for drug delivery and cancer therapy due to their high payload to carrier ratio. Information about the amount and location of sAuNPs in cells and tissues is critical to many applications. However, the current detection method (i.e., transmission electron microscopy) for such sAuNPs is limited due to the extensive sample preparation and the limited field of view. Here we use confocal laser scanning microscopy to provide endosome-entrapped sAuNP distributions and to quantify particle uptake into cells. The quantitative capabilities of the system were confirmed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, with an observed linear relation between scattering intensity and the initial cellular uptake of sAuNPs using 4 nm and 6 nm core particles. The summary of the method is: •This non-invasive imaging strategy provides a tool for label-free real-time tracking and quantification of sAuNPs using a commercially available confocal laser scanning microscope.•Scattering intensity depends on particle size.•The linear relation established between scattering intensity and uptaken gold amount enables simultaneous quantitative assessment through simple image analysis.