Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA.
Langmuir. 2012 Jun 12;28(23):8767-72. doi: 10.1021/la301200g. Epub 2012 Jun 1.
We report a facile approach to the conjugation of protein-encapsulated gold fluorescent nanoclusters to the iron oxide nanoparticles through catechol reaction. This method eliminates the use of chemical linkers and can be readily extended to the conjugation of biological molecules and other nanomaterials onto nanoparticle surfaces. The key to the success was producing water-soluble iron oxide nanoparticles with active catechol groups. Further, advanced electron microscopy analysis of the integrated gold nanoclusters and iron oxide nanoparticles provided direct evidence of the presence of a single fluorescent nanocluster per protein template. Interestingly, the integrated nanoparticles exhibited enhanced fluorescent emission in biological media. These studies will provide significantly practical value in chemical conjugation, the development of multifunctional nanostructures, and exploration of multifunctional nanoparticles for biological applications.
我们报告了一种通过儿茶酚反应将蛋白质包裹的金荧光纳米团簇偶联到氧化铁纳米粒子上的简便方法。该方法消除了化学连接剂的使用，并可以很容易地扩展到将生物分子和其他纳米材料偶联到纳米粒子表面。成功的关键是制备具有活性儿茶酚基团的水溶性氧化铁纳米粒子。此外，对集成的金纳米团簇和氧化铁纳米粒子的高级电子显微镜分析提供了每个蛋白质模板存在单个荧光纳米团簇的直接证据。有趣的是，集成的纳米粒子在生物介质中表现出增强的荧光发射。这些研究将在化学偶联、多功能纳米结构的开发以及多功能纳米粒子在生物应用中的探索方面提供非常实际的价值。
