Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials Chemistry and Physics, and Key Laboratory of design and assembly of functional nanostructures, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China).
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2014 Jan 27;53(5):1252-7. doi: 10.1002/anie.201309503. Epub 2014 Jan 16.
Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have shown great promise in bioapplications. Exploring new host materials to realize efficient upconversion luminescence (UCL) output is a goal of general concern. Herein, we develop a unique strategy for the synthesis of novel LiLuF4 :Ln(3+) core/shell UCNPs with typically high absolute upconversion quantum yields of 5.0 % and 7.6 % for Er(3+) and Tm(3+) , respectively. Based on our customized UCL biodetection system, we demonstrate for the first time the application of LiLuF4 :Ln(3+) core/shell UCNPs as sensitive UCL bioprobes for the detection of an important disease marker β subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) with a detection limit of 3.8 ng mL(-1) , which is comparable to the β-hCG level in the serum of normal humans. Furthermore, we use these UCNPs in proof-of-concept computed tomography imaging and UCL imaging of cancer cells, thus revealing the great potential of LiLuF4 :Ln(3+) UCNPs as efficient nano-bioprobes in disease diagnosis.
镧系掺杂上转换纳米粒子（UCNPs）在生物应用中显示出巨大的潜力。探索新的宿主材料以实现高效的上转换发光（UCL）输出是人们普遍关注的目标。在此，我们开发了一种独特的策略，用于合成新型 LiLuF4：Ln（3+）核/壳 UCNPs，其 Er（3+）和 Tm（3+）的绝对上转换量子产率分别高达 5.0%和 7.6%。基于我们定制的 UCL 生物检测系统，我们首次展示了 LiLuF4：Ln（3+）核/壳 UCNPs 作为敏感 UCL 生物探针在检测重要疾病标志物人绒毛膜促性腺激素β亚单位（β-hCG）中的应用，检测限为 3.8ng·mL-1，与正常人血清中的 β-hCG 水平相当。此外，我们在概念验证 CT 成像和癌细胞 UCL 成像中使用了这些 UCNPs，从而揭示了 LiLuF4：Ln（3+）UCNPs 作为疾病诊断中高效纳米生物探针的巨大潜力。
