Imaging of cellular uptake of boron cluster compound by stimulated Raman scattering microscopy

Abstract

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a cancer-selective radiotherapy to treat malignant tumors using a nuclear reaction of boron isotopes in tumor-localizing drug molecules. To evaluate the efficacy of boron drugs for BNCT, it is crucial to measure the distribution of boron drugs in cells. Here, we present the direct imaging of cellular uptake of boron cluster compound by stimulated Raman scattering microscopy. We demonstrate quantitative analysis of spatial distributions of disodium mercaptoundecahydrododecaborate (BSH)-cholesterol in HeLa cells.