Projecte realitzat en col.laboració amb el centre ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques

Emodin (6-methyl-1,3,8 trihydroxyanthraquinone) is considered as apotential candidate for photodynamic therapy for the treatment of cancer. A success inusing of the molecule depends among other factors on the knowledge how fast itpenetrates through the cell membrane and then diffuses inside the cell. A spatialdistribution of emodin inside cancerous cells is also an important factor. The aim of this study is to investigate the diffusion of emodin in cancerous cells by means of a noninvasive and sensitive technique: Surface Enhanced Raman scattering which permits usto study the evolution of the small amount of emodin inside single living cells. Theexperimental results were compared with a theoretical model that simulated theBrownian diffusion of particles. From this comparison and comparing with previousresults in fluorescence spectroscopy we have found that: for a long time, emodin isaccumulated in the cytoplasm in a region close to the membrane. The result is discussed in terms of emodin being stored in cell organelles located in the cytoplasm.