Raman signatures of astrocytoma metabolism alterations induced by crocin, fucoxanthin and lutein.

Carotenoids represent a large group of chemical substances, and certain ones have demonstrated the ability to alter human metabolic pathways. Lycopene is an example of a carotenoid used for cancer prevention and therapy. Nonetheless, the precise impact of carotenoids on brain cancer cell metabolism and the functioning of individual organelles is still unclear. In this study, we suggested using Raman spectroscopy and imaging to analyse carotenoid metabolism at the single-cell level. This paper aimed to explore three representative carotenoid compounds to better understand their overall effects and their influence on brain cancer cells. Hence, utilizing Raman techniques, we analysed astrocytoma cells (CRL-1718 cell line) both without supplementation and supplemented with crocin, fucoxanthin, and lutein. Our Raman study suggests that the metabolism of cancer cells undergoes modifications upon carotenoid implementation. We showed that carotenoids affect lipids content (based on the intensity of the band at 1444 cm) and the redox state of cytochrome c inside a single cell (based on the intensity of the band at 1583 cm).