Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
Langmuir. 2012 Aug 14;28(32):11676-86. doi: 10.1021/la302004p. Epub 2012 Jul 30.
DNA short oligo, surfactant, peptides, and polymer-assisted dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNTs) in aqueous solution have been intensively studied. It has been suggested that van der Waals interaction, π-π stacking, and hydrophobic interaction are major factors that account for the SWCNTs dispersion. Fluorophore and dye molecules such as Rhodamine B and fluorescein have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties. These molecules also contain π-conjugated systems that can potentially interact with SWCNTs to induce its dispersion. Through a systematic study, here we show that SWCNTs can be dispersed in aqueous solution in the presence of various fluorophore or dye molecules. However, the ability of a fluorophore or dye molecule to disperse SWCNTs is not correlated with the stability of the fluorophore/dye-SWCNT complex, suggesting that the on-rate of fluorophore/dye binding to SWCNTs may dominate the efficiency of this process. We also examined the uptake of fluorophore molecules by mammalian cells when these molecules formed complexes with SWCNTs. The results can have potential applications in the delivery of poor cell-penetrating fluorophore molecules.
DNA 短寡聚物、表面活性剂、肽和聚合物辅助的单壁碳纳米管 (SWCNTs) 在水溶液中的分散已得到深入研究。据认为，范德华相互作用、π-π 堆积和疏水相互作用是导致 SWCNTs 分散的主要因素。荧光团和染料分子，如罗丹明 B 和荧光素，都具有亲水性和疏水性部分。这些分子还含有π共轭体系，可能与 SWCNTs 相互作用以诱导其分散。通过系统研究，我们在这里表明，在各种荧光团或染料分子的存在下，SWCNTs 可以在水溶液中分散。然而，荧光团或染料分子分散 SWCNTs 的能力与荧光团/染料-SWCNT 配合物的稳定性无关，这表明荧光团/染料与 SWCNTs 的结合速率可能主导这一过程的效率。我们还研究了当这些分子与 SWCNTs 形成复合物时，荧光团分子被哺乳动物细胞摄取的情况。这些结果在递送穿透能力差的荧光团分子方面具有潜在的应用价值。
