Table 1.

Summary of results for SERS monitoring of labeled and unlabeled nanoparticle uptake in J774 cells after a 4-hour incubation

	Charge	Uptake (4 hours)	Remarks
No particles	–	–	Control
Unlabeled nanoparticles	–	**	Smaller diameter than labeled particles due to lack of hydrocarbon monolayer
4-MBA-labeled nanoparticles	Negative	***	Carboxyl group; electrostatics may aid interaction with cell membrane
4-ATP-labeled nanoparticles	Positive	*****	Amine group; electrostatics may aid interaction with plasma membrane
4-TC-labeled nanoparticles	Neutral	*	Methyl group; lack of electrostatics may hinder interaction with plasma membrane

Number of asterisks indicates increasing degree of efficient uptake.