Figure 6.

Distribution of SiO₂ NPs in HepG2 spheroids after spheroid formation.

Notes: 100 µg mL⁻¹ SiO₂ NPs were applied 7 days after seeding for 24 hours. For imaging, spheroids were fixed and cut into 10-µm-thick cryoslices. Three independent experiments were performed. Representative images of the samples are shown. (A) CLS images of the spheroids. After preparation of cryoslices, samples were stained for CLS microscopy. The cell nucleus (yellow), cytoskeleton (green), and SiO₂ NPs (magenta) are imaged. Red box indicates the detailed image position, which is derived from a maximum projection, shown on the right. (B) Back-scattered electron micrographs of the whole spheroid (left) and a detailed image (right) are shown. Red box indicates the detailed image position.

Abbreviations: CLS, confocal laser scanning microscopy; NPs, nanoparticles.