Label-Free Imaging Analysis of Patient-Derived Cholangiocarcinoma Organoids after Sorafenib Treatment.

Monitoring tumor growth dynamics is crucial for understanding cancer. To establish an in vitro method for the continuous assessment of patient-specific tumor growth, tumor organoids were generated from patients with intrahepatic CCA (iCCA). Organoid growth was monitored for 48 h by label-free live brightfield imaging. Growth kinetics were calculated and validated by MTS assay as well as immunohistochemistry of Ki67 to determine proliferation rates. We exposed iCCA organoids (iCCAOs) and non-tumor intrahepatic cholangiocyte organoids (ICOs) to sub-therapeutic concentrations of sorafenib. Monitoring the expansion rate of iCCAOs and ICOs revealed that iCCAO growth was inhibited by sorafenib in a time- and dose-dependent fashion, while ICOs were unaffected. Quantification of the proliferation marker Ki67 confirmed inhibition of iCCAO growth by roughly 50% after 48 h of treatment with 4 µM sorafenib. We established a robust analysis pipeline combining brightfield microscopy and a straightforward image processing approach for the label-free growth monitoring of patient-derived iCCAOs. Combined with bioanalytical validation, this approach is suitable for a fast and efficient high-throughput drug screening in tumor organoids to develop patient-specific systemic treatment options.

Structural and spectrophotometric characterization of 2-[4-(dimethylamino)styryl]-1-ethylquinolinium iodide as a reagent for sequential injection determination of tungsten.

Structure, spectrophotometric and protolytic properties of the styryl dye 2-[4-(dimethylamino)styryl]-1-ethylquinolinium iodide (R) as well as its complex with tungsten were studied. The selective protonation of dimethylamino group was confirmed by density functional theory investigation through the computation of Fukui function, NPA partial atomic charges, and NICS(0) aromaticity indexes. The TD-DFT study explains the experimental change of color by excluding the dimethylamino group from HOMO orbital upon protonation. The acid dissociation constant, the optimum wavelength and the molar absorptivity of R were found to be: 3.02, 501nm and 4.0×104Lmol-1cm-1, respectively. The protolytic properties of the reagent were found to change significantly in the presence of tungsten(VI). Analysis of bond critical points between the anions and Quinaldine Red cation gives the selectivity raw HWO4->MoO4->H2VO4->ReO4->ClO4-, that perfectly match with the experimental data. Based on this observation, a non-extractive sequential-injection spectrophotometric method for the determination of tungsten was developed. The absorbance of the colored extracts obeys Beer's law up to 55.2mgL-1 of W at 520nm wavelength. The limit of detection calculated from a blank test (n=10) based on 3s was 0.96mgL-1. The developed method was applied for the determination of tungsten in model samples.

A non-extractive sequential injection method for determination of molybdenum.

A non-extractive sequential injection spectrophotometric method for the determination of molybdenum has been developed. The method is based on the reaction between the thiocyanate complex of molybdenum and the polymethine dye (2-[2-(4-dipropylamino-phenyl)-vinyl]-1,3,3-trimethyl-3H-indolium chloride) in a hydrochloric acid medium. The calibration plot in the SIA system was linear from 0.080mgL(-1) to 1.92mgL(-1) of Mo; LOD was 0.021mgL(-1). The method was applied for the determination of molybdenum in spiked drinking water and mineral water.