Correlative fluorescence and X-ray fluorescence chemical imaging of single cancer cells treated by gold-based anticancer drug candidates

Many gold(III) compounds have been reported to display cytotoxic properties and, as such, could provide safer alternatives to clinically approved platinum-based drugs used in cancer chemotherapy. So as to establish a clear rationale regarding the relationship between chemical structure and reactivity and biological properties, we intend to study the uptake and possible biotransformation of structurally related gold compounds in cancer cell models on the basis of chemical imaging by X-ray fluorescence microscopy to determine the spatial distribution of gold and endogenous elements in single cells at the nanometric scale. Correlative chemical and organelle fluorescence imaging will provide invaluable information on the possible tropism of the compounds to particular cellular compartments as well as their metabolism, giving clues to their mechanism of action.