Biology subjects

Chrabaszcz, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Chrabaszcz, K..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Lipid droplet isolation as a novel platform for spectroscopic investigation of cargo modifications

Lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic organelles involved in metabolic regulation and cellular stress responses, yet their biochemical heterogeneity and treatment-dependent remodeling in the context of radiotherapy remain poorly understood. Here, we present the first label-free Raman spectroscopic analysis of isolated lipid droplets (iLDs) from normal Schwann cells and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) cells subjected to cannabidiol (CBD) treatment, ionizing radiation, and their combination. Raman spectroscopy revealed pronounced chemical heterogeneity of iLDs both between and within cell types, reflecting differences in acyl chain organization, conformational order, and lipid class composition. CBD treatment induced substantial lipid remodeling in Schwann cells, giving rise to multiple iLD subpopulations, whereas MPNST cells exhibited a more constrained response. Irradiation altered lipid droplet heterogeneity in a cell-type-dependent manner, while combined CBD treatment and irradiation induced characteristic alterations in LD cargo that differed markedly between Schwann and MPNST cells, highlighting lipid droplets as sensitive reporters of metabolic reprogramming and stress adaptation. Overall, these findings establish Raman-based lipid droplet profiling as a powerful approach for resolving treatment-specific metabolic remodeling at the suborganelle level and provide new insight into lipid-mediated mechanisms underlying radiosensitization in cancer cells.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2026

Spectrolipidomics of glial cell lines: a deuterated probe for semiquantitative monitoring of cannabidiol-induced cholesterol modulation

Understanding lipid metabolism in peripheral glial cells is crucial for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, cancerogenesis and therapy resistance. Here, we introduce a spectrolipidomic sensing approach that integrates Raman, FT-IR, and AFM-IR spectroscopy to monitor nanoscale cholesterol remodeling in glial cells exposed to cannabidiol (CBD). Deuterated cholesterol (dChol) was employed as an intrinsic, spectroscopically active molecular probe, enabling selective tracking of cholesterol transformations through characteristic C-D vibrational signatures within the 2300-2000 cm-1 silent spectral region. Multimodal vibrational spectroscopy provided label-free, spatially resolved insight into lipid organization, redistribution, and metabolic reprogramming across micro- and nanoscales. The dChol probe enabled semi-quantitative evaluation of cholesterol uptake, esterification, and membrane integration, revealing that the sequence of CBD exposure, before or after probe addition, triggers distinct lipid metabolic pathways. Raman spectroscopy demonstrated superior sensitivity, with reliable detection of intracellular dChol at concentrations as low as 10 {micro}M, outperforming FT-IR imaging and confirming its suitability for cell lipid sensing. This analytical platform establishes deuterium-labeled lipids as powerful vibrational sensors for probing lipid metabolism and CBD-induced remodeling in situ. The presented spectrolipidomic framework paves the way for next-generation, spectroscopy-based biosensing systems capable of visualizing lipid dynamics, membrane restructuring, and drug- lipid interactions under pharmacological or environmental stress conditions. HighlightsO_LIDeuterated cholesterol (dChol) used as an intrinsic vibrational sensor C_LIO_LILower detection threshold of intracellular dChol for Raman than FT-IR C_LIO_LIAFM-IR reveals phases of lipid droplet formation in nanoscale C_LIO_LICBD alters cholesterol uptake, esterification, and lipid unsaturation profiles C_LI

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2023

High resolution optical spectroscopy for the evaluation of cannabidiol efficiency as a radiation therapy support of peripheral nervous system tumors

An increasing number of scientific papers discuss the promising therapeutic potential of cannabidiol (CBD) not only for the treatment of cancer, but also for asthma and neurodegenerative disorders. This happens mainly due to its proven anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. In the field of cancer research, the use of CBD has already been investigated on malignant tumors of the central nervous system, like gliomas. So far, CBD has not yet been explored in the therapy of peripheral nervous system (PNS) tumors. Peripheral nerves reside outside the central nervous system, therefore peripheral nerve tumors can occur anywhere in the body. When the tumor develops within large blood vessels, spinal nerves or involves more than one peripheral nerve, radiotherapy is recommended. Due to high doses of ionizing radiation, complications such as dizziness, damage to adjacent nerves, or malignancy of the lesion may occur. Therefore, it is important to develop a treatment scheme that efficiently reduces tumor volume while maintaining the normal functions of the surrounding cells and decrease the side effects. Herein, we proposed to combine hyperspectral imaging using Raman and FTIR spectroscopy and AFM-IR technique as a novel approach to monitor the therapeutic efficacy of CBD. Performed studies reviled the dual effect of CBD, that protects normal cells from ionizing radiation and increases its toxicity in cancer cells.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2023

Raman micro-spectroscopy reveals the spatial distribution of fumarate in cells and tissues.

Aberrantly accumulated metabolites such as fumarate elicit intra- and inter-cellular pro-oncogenic cascades, yet current methods to measure them require sample perturbation or disruption and lack spatio-temporal resolution, limiting our ability to fully characterize their function and distribution in cells and within a tissue. Raman spectroscopy (RS) is a powerful bio-analytical tool that directly characterizes the chemical composition of a sample based solely on the optical fingerprint of vibrational modes. Here, we show for the first time that RS can directly detect fumarate in living cells in vivo and animal tissues ex vivo. Using the observed linear relationship between Raman scattered intensity and fumarate concentration, we demonstrate that RS can distinguish between Fumarate hydratase (Fh1)-deficient and Fh1-proficient cells based on their fumarate concentration. Moreover, RS reveals the spatial compartmentalization of fumarate within cellular organelles: consistent with disruptive methods, in Fh1-deficient cells we observe the highest fumarate concentration (37 {+/-} 19 mM) in the mitochondria, where the TCA cycle operates, followed by the cytoplasm (24 {+/-} 13 mM) and then the nucleus (9 {+/-} 6 mM). Finally, we apply RS to tissues from an inducible mouse model of FH loss in the kidney, demonstrating that RS can accurately classify FH status in these tissues. These results suggest that RS could be adopted as a valuable tool for small molecule metabolic imaging, enabling in situ dynamic evaluation of fumarate compartmentalization.

cell biology↗