Analytical Sciences

Direct Drug Metabolism Monitoring in a Live Single Hepatic Cell by Video Mass Spectrometry

Sachiko DATE,* Hajime MIZUNO,** Naohiro TSUYAMA,** Takanori HARADA,** and Tsutomu MASUJIMA*,**

*Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), RIKEN, 6-2-3 Furuedai, Suita, Osaka 565-0874, Japan
**Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan

The metabolism of anti-breast cancer drug, tamoxifen, in a single human hepatocellular carcinoma cell, HepG2, was directly monitored by a video-mass spectroscope. The cytoplasm, a vacuole or nucleus of the cell was directly sucked by a nano-spray tip under a video-microscope, and then was introduced into a mass spectrometer. Unchanged drug molecules were found in cytoplasm and a vacuole, but the metabolites were only found in the cytoplasm. This direct detection of drug metabolites in a live single cell is useful for speedy drug metabolism monitoring.

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