Liu Betty R, Chen Hwei-Hsien, Chan Ming-Huan, Huang Yue-Wern, Aronstam Robert S, Lee Han-Jung
J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2015 Mar;15(3):2067-78. doi: 10.1166/jnn.2015.9148.
Nanoparticles, such as semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), have been found increasing use in biomedical diagnosis and therapeutics because of their unique properties, including quantum confinement, surface plasmon resonance, and superparamagnetism. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) represent an efficient mechanism to overcome plasma membrane barriers and deliver biologically active molecules into cells. In this study, we demonstrate that three arginine-rich CPPs (SR9, HR9, and PR9) can noncovalently complex with red light emitting QDs, dramatically increasing their deliv- ery into living cells. Zeta-potential and size analyses highlight the importance of electrostatic interactions between positive-charged CPP/QD complexes and negative-charged plasma membranes indicating the efficiency of transmembrane complex transport. Subcellular colocalization indicates associations of QD with early endosomes and lysosomes following PR9-mediated delivery. Our study demonstrates that nontoxic CPPs of varied composition provide an effective vehicle for the design of optimized drug delivery systems.
纳米颗粒，如半导体量子点（QDs），因其独特的性质，包括量子限制、表面等离子体共振和超顺磁性，在生物医学诊断和治疗中的应用越来越广泛。细胞穿透肽（CPPs）是一种克服质膜屏障并将生物活性分子递送至细胞内的有效机制。在本研究中，我们证明三种富含精氨酸的CPPs（SR9、HR9和PR9）可以与发红光的量子点非共价结合，显著增加其进入活细胞的递送效率。ζ电位和尺寸分析突出了带正电的CPP/量子点复合物与带负电的质膜之间静电相互作用的重要性，表明跨膜复合物转运的效率。亚细胞共定位表明在PR9介导的递送后量子点与早期内体和溶酶体相关联。我们的研究表明，不同组成的无毒CPPs为设计优化的药物递送系统提供了一种有效的载体。
