Chemical imaging of small molecules from simple to complex matrices: Quantitative approaches based on Surface Enhanced Raman scattering

Surface Enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) allows to dramatically exalt the Raman diffusion of molecules absorbed or very closed to rough metallic surfaces while keeping their structural information. SERS chemical imaging, presenting a high specificity and sensibility, allows acquiring a visual representation of samples combining spectral and spatial measurements. This technique could become a powerful tool in pharmaceutical and biological analysis enabling to identify and quantify molecules thanks to chemometric evaluation while looking at their distribution or their interactions. In this context, SERS chemical imaging is investigated in detection or quantitative determination of molecules in pharmaceutical and biological matrices.

The feasibility of making quantitative measurements using SERS is evaluated on small target molecules models such as 4-aminophenol and lactate. Firstly, a SERS method to quantify 4-aminophenol which is the primary impurity of acetaminophen coming from its degradation during the storage or from its synthesis was developed on a real pharmaceutical formulation. The standard addition method was selected as calibration method in order to take into account the matrix effect coming from the different components of the latter. Despite the well-known stability and repeatability problems of SERS, the method was thoroughly validated by means of accuracy profiles as decision tool. Moreover, this validation methodology allowed to define a first estimation of the real analytical performance of the technique. Secondly, the detection of lactate, which is a critical metabolite implicated in several metabolic disorders, was successfully tested in the physiological concentration in a simple matrix. Preliminary results for the determination of this metabolic biomarker were also very promising allowing to consider more complex matrices.

Based on these results, SERS chemical imaging was implemented to detect 4-aminophenol in a pharmaceutical tablet formerly pulverised by a SERS substrate. Through this imaging technique, it was not only possible to detect the presence of the impurity at the limit of specification of 0.1% (w/w) but it was also possible to differentiate tablets comprising different concentrations of the latter.

These promising results represent the first step towards quantitative measurements using SERS chemical imaging.