Lakowicz Joseph R, Malicka Joanna, Gryczynski Ignacy, Gryczynski Zygmunt, Geddes Chris D
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Centre for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 725 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
J Phys D Appl Phys. 2003 Jul 1;36:R240-R249. doi: 10.1088/0022-3727/36/14/203.
Fluorescence detection is a central technology in biological research and biotechnology. A vast array of fluorescent probes are available with diverse spectral properties. These properties were 'engineered' into fluorophores by modification of the chemical structures. Essentially, all present uses of fluorescence rely on the radiation of energy into optically transparent media, the free space which surrounds the fluorophores. In this paper, we summarize an opportunity for novel fluorescence technology based on modification of the photonic mode density around the fluorophore and thus control of its spectral properties. This modification can be accomplished by proximity of fluorophores to metallic particles of gold, silver and possibly others. By engineering the size and shape of the metal particles, and the location of the fluorophores relative to the surfaces, fluorophores can be quenched, display increases in quantum yield, and changes in lifetime. Fluorophore-metal surface combinations can even display directional rather than isotropic emission. We describe recent experimental results and suggest potential biomedical applications of fluorophore-metal particle interactions.
荧光检测是生物学研究和生物技术中的一项核心技术。有大量具有不同光谱特性的荧光探针可供使用。这些特性是通过化学结构的修饰“设计”到荧光团中的。本质上，目前所有的荧光应用都依赖于能量辐射到光学透明介质中，即围绕荧光团的自由空间。在本文中，我们总结了一种基于修饰荧光团周围光子模式密度从而控制其光谱特性的新型荧光技术的机会。这种修饰可以通过使荧光团靠近金、银以及可能的其他金属颗粒来实现。通过设计金属颗粒的尺寸和形状，以及荧光团相对于表面的位置，荧光团可以被淬灭、量子产率增加以及寿命发生变化。荧光团 - 金属表面组合甚至可以显示出定向而非各向同性的发射。我们描述了最近的实验结果，并提出了荧光团 - 金属颗粒相互作用在生物医学方面的潜在应用。
