Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF) & Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China.
Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA), Kyushu University , 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2015 Dec 2;7(47):26266-74. doi: 10.1021/acsami.5b08539. Epub 2015 Nov 19.
Fluorescent organic nanoparticles based on small molecules have been regarded as promising candidates for bioimaging in recent years. In this study, we report a highly stable near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent organic nanoprobes based on nanoparticles of an anthraquinone derivate with strong aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics and a large Stokes shift (>175 nm). These endow the nanoprobe with high fluorescent brightness and high signal-to-noise ratio. On the other hand, the nanoprobe also shows low cytotoxicity, good stability over a wide pH range, superior resistance against photodegradation and photobleaching comparing to typical commercial fluorescent organic dyes such as fluorescein sodium. Endowed with such merits in term of optical performance, biocompatibility, and stability, the nanoprobe is demonstrated to be an ideal fluorescent probe for noninvasive long-term cellular tracing and imaging applications. As an example, it is shown that strong red fluorescence from the nanoprobe can still be clearly observed in A549 human lung cancer cells after incubation for six generations over 15 days.
基于小分子的荧光有机纳米粒子近年来被认为是生物成像的有前途的候选者。在这项研究中，我们报告了一种基于蒽醌衍生物纳米粒子的高稳定性近红外（NIR）荧光有机纳米探针，该纳米粒子具有强烈的聚集诱导发射（AIE）特性和大斯托克斯位移（>175nm）。这些特性赋予纳米探针高荧光亮度和高信噪比。另一方面，与典型的商业荧光有机染料如荧光素钠相比，该纳米探针还具有低细胞毒性、在宽 pH 范围内的良好稳定性、对光降解和光漂白的优异抗性。由于在光学性能、生物相容性和稳定性方面具有这些优点，该纳米探针被证明是用于非侵入性长期细胞示踪和成像应用的理想荧光探针。例如，结果表明，在 15 天内孵育 6 代后，纳米探针仍能在 A549 人肺癌细胞中清晰观察到强烈的红色荧光。
