Nanoparticle uptake measured by flow cytometry.

The uptake of nanoparticles by cells is an important factor to assess nanotoxicity. In general, the nanoparticles taken up by the cells have been identified by transmission electron microscope, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, etc.; however, the methods required an immense amount of time and effort. Flow cytometry (FCM) has been used and developed in the fields of biochemistry and clinical hematology, and has advantages to analyze thousands of cells in seconds. We recently clarified that the side-scatter(ed) light of FCM could be used as a guide to measure uptake potential of nanoparticles. Here, we describe the protocol for screening of the uptake potential of nanoparticles using FCM.