Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University at Buffalo, State University of New York Buffalo, New York 14260-4200, United States.
Bioconjug Chem. 2011 Jun 15;22(6):1081-8. doi: 10.1021/bc100552p. Epub 2011 May 18.
Conventional quantum dots have great potential in cancer-related imaging and diagnostic applications; however, these applications are limited by concerns about the inherent toxicity of their core materials (e.g., cadmium, lead). Virtually all imaging applications require conjugation of the imaging agent to a biologically active molecule to achieve selective uptake or binding. Here, we report a study of biocompatible silicon quantum dots covalently attached to biomolecules including lysine, folate, antimesothelin, and transferrin. The particles possess desirable physical properties, surface chemistry, and optical properties. Folate- and antimesothelin-conjugated silicon quantum dots show selective uptake into Panc-1 cells. This study contributes to the preclinical evaluation of silicon quantum dots and further demonstrates their potential as an imaging agent for cancer applications.
传统量子点在癌症相关的成像和诊断应用中具有很大的潜力；然而，这些应用受到对其核心材料固有毒性的关注（例如，镉、铅）的限制。实际上，所有成像应用都需要将成像剂与生物活性分子偶联，以实现选择性摄取或结合。在这里，我们报告了一种将生物相容性硅量子点共价连接到生物分子（包括赖氨酸、叶酸、抗间皮素和转铁蛋白）的研究。这些颗粒具有理想的物理性质、表面化学性质和光学性质。叶酸和抗间皮素偶联的硅量子点显示出选择性进入 Panc-1 细胞的摄取。这项研究为硅量子点的临床前评估做出了贡献，并进一步证明了它们作为癌症应用的成像剂的潜力。
