Probing the Production of Intracellular Vesicles Containing Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species by Electrochemical Resistive-pulse Sensing

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) are known to play an essential role in cell signaling, disease development and progression. The production of ROS/RNS in living cells can be induced by diacylglycerol-lactone (DAG-lactone) through activation of protein kinase C, an important therapeutic target for cancer and other diseases. In a previous report, nano-electrochemistry was performed to evaluate the production of ROS/RNS inside a human breast cell (MCF-10A) treated with DAG-lactone. Simultaneously, the formation of large intracellular vacuoles was observed using a microscope. These results suggest a possibility that the ROS/RNS were stored in the intracellular vacuoles. The experiments carried out during this summer were aimed to elucidate the relationship between the intracellular production of vesicles and ROS/RNS.