Toward Sensitive and Reliable Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Imaging: From Rational Design to Biomedical Applications

Early specific detection through indicative biomarkers and precise visualization of lesion sites are urgent requirements for clinical disease diagnosis. However, current detection and optical imaging methods are insufficient for these demands. Molecular imaging technologies are being intensely studied for reliable medical diagnosis. In the past several decades, molecular imaging with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has significant advances from analytical chemistry to medical science. SERS is the inelastic scattering generated from the interaction between photons and substances, presenting molecular structure information. The outstanding SERS virtues of high sensitivity, high specificity, and resistance to biointerference are highly advantageous for biomarker detection in a complex biological matrix. In this work, we review recent progress on the applications of SERS imaging in clinical diagnostics. With the assistance of SERS imaging, the detection of disease-related proteins, nucleic acids, small molecules, and pH of the cellular microenvironment can be implemented for adjuvant medical diagnosis. Moreover, multimodal imaging integrates the high penetration and high speed of other imaging modalities and imaging precision of SERS imaging, resulting in final complete and accurate imaging outcomes and exhibiting robust potential in the discrimination of pathological tissues and surgical navigation. As a promising molecular imaging technology, SERS imaging has achieved remarkable performance in clinical diagnostics and the biomedical realm. It is expected that this review will provide insights for further development of SERS imaging and promote the rapid progress and successful translation of advanced molecular imaging with clinical diagnostics.

通过指示性生物标志物进行早期特异性检测和病变部位的精确可视化是临床疾病诊断的迫切要求。然而，当前的检测和光学成像方法不足以满足这些需求。分子成像技术正在深入研究以实现可靠的医学诊断。在过去的几十年里，表面增强拉曼散射（SERS）分子成像从分析化学到医学科学取得了重大进展。 SERS是光子与物质相互作用产生的非弹性散射，呈现分子结构信息。 SERS 具有高灵敏度、高特异性和抗生物干扰等突出优点，对于复杂生物基质中的生物标志物检测非常有利。在这项工作中，我们回顾了 SERS 成像在临床诊断中应用的最新进展。借助SERS成像，可以实现疾病相关蛋白、核酸、小分子以及细胞微环境pH值的检测，以进行辅助医学诊断。此外，多模态成像融合了其他成像方式的高穿透性、高速度和SERS成像的成像精度，最终获得完整、准确的成像结果，在病理组织的判别和手术导航方面展现出强大的潜力。 SERS成像作为一种很有前景的分子成像技术，在临床诊断和生物医学领域取得了令人瞩目的表现。预计本综述将为SERS成像的进一步发展提供见解，并促进先进分子成像与临床诊断的快速进展和成功转化。