Biochemical changes of macrophages and U87MG cells occurring as a result of the exposure to iron oxide nanoparticles detected with the Raman microspectroscopy

[Display omitted] •Raman microscopy and multivariate methods allows to follow biochemical anomalies in cells after the exposure to IONPs.•IONPs influence biochemical composition of macrophages and U87MG cells but not HEK293T cells.•IONPs with 10 nm core diminished the accumulation of biomolecules in cells only when were administered at a larger dose.•The spectra of some cells exposed to the action of IONPs show the presence of Raman bands in the range 1700–2400 cm−1.•Small IONPs may be internalized into U87MG cells what points at their diagnostic/therapeutic potential in case of gliomas. The core size of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) is a crucial factor defining not only their magnetic properties but also toxicological profile and biocompatibility. On the other hand, particular IONPs may induce different biological response depending on the dose, exposure time, but mainly depending on the examined system. New light on this problem may be shed by the information concerning biomolecular anomalies appearing in various cell lines in response to the action of IONPs with different core diameters and this was accomplished in the present study. Using Raman microscopy we studied the abnormalities in the accumulation of proteins, lipids and organic matter within the nucleus, cytoplasm and cellular membrane of macrophages, HEK293T and U87MG cell line occurring as a result of 24-hour long exposure to PEG-coated magnetite IONPs. The examined nanoparticles had 5, 10 and 30 nm cores and were administered in doses 5 and 25 μg Fe/ml. The obtained results showed significant anomalies in biochemical composition of macrophages and the U87MG cells, but not the HEK293T cells, occurring as a result of exposure to all of the examined nanoparticles. However, IONPs with 10 nm core diminished the accumulation of biomolecules in cells only when they were administered at a larger dose. The Raman spectra recorded for the macrophages subjected to 30 nm IONPs and for the U87MG cells exposed to 5 and 10 nm showed the presence of additional bands in the wavenumber range 1700–2400 cm−1, probably resulting from the appearance of Fe adducts within cells. Our results indicate, moreover, that smaller IONPs may be effectively internalized into the U87MG cells, which points at their diagnostic/therapeutic potential in the case of glioblastoma multiforme.