Maxwell Tyler, Banu Tahmina, Price Edward, Tharkur Jeremy, Campos Maria Gabriela Nogueira, Gesquiere Andre, Santra Swadeshmukul
Department of Chemistry, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816, USA.
NanoScience Technology Center, University of Central Florida, 12424 Research Parkway, Suite 400, Orlando, FL 32826, USA.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2015 Dec 18;5(4):2359-2379. doi: 10.3390/nano5042359.
Quantum dot (Qdot) biosensors have consistently provided valuable information to researchers about cellular activity due to their unique fluorescent properties. Many of the most popularly used Qdots contain cadmium, posing the risk of toxicity that could negate their attractive optical properties. The design of a non-cytotoxic probe usually involves multiple components and a complex synthesis process. In this paper, the design and synthesis of a non-cytotoxic Qdot-chitosan nanogel composite using straight-forward cyanogen bromide (CNBr) coupling is reported. The probe was characterized by spectroscopy (UV-Vis, fluorescence), microscopy (Fluorescence, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering. This activatable ("OFF"/"ON") probe contains a core-shell Qdot (CdS:Mn/ZnS) capped with dopamine, which acts as a fluorescence quencher and a model drug. Dopamine capped "OFF" Qdots can undergo ligand exchange with intercellular glutathione, which turns the Qdots "ON" to restore fluorescence. These Qdots were then coated with chitosan (natural biocompatible polymer) functionalized with folic acid (targeting motif) and Fluorescein Isothiocyanate (FITC; fluorescent dye). To demonstrate cancer cell targetability, the interaction of the probe with cells that express different folate receptor levels was analyzed, and the cytotoxicity of the probe was evaluated on these cells and was shown to be nontoxic even at concentrations as high as 100 mg/L.
量子点(Qdot)生物传感器因其独特的荧光特性,一直为研究人员提供有关细胞活动的有价值信息。许多最常用的量子点含有镉,存在毒性风险,这可能会抵消其诱人的光学特性。非细胞毒性探针的设计通常涉及多个组件和复杂的合成过程。本文报道了一种使用简单的溴化氰(CNBr)偶联方法设计和合成的非细胞毒性量子点-壳聚糖纳米凝胶复合材料。该探针通过光谱学(紫外-可见光谱、荧光光谱)、显微镜技术(荧光显微镜、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和动态光散射)进行表征。这种可激活的(“关闭”/“开启”)探针包含一个包覆有多巴胺的核壳量子点(CdS:Mn/ZnS),多巴胺作为荧光猝灭剂和一种模型药物。包覆多巴胺的“关闭”量子点可以与细胞内的谷胱甘肽进行配体交换,从而使量子点“开启”以恢复荧光。然后,这些量子点用叶酸(靶向基序)和异硫氰酸荧光素(FITC;荧光染料)功能化的壳聚糖(天然生物相容性聚合物)进行包覆。为了证明癌细胞靶向性,分析了该探针与表达不同叶酸受体水平的细胞之间的相互作用,并评估了该探针在这些细胞上的细胞毒性,结果表明即使在高达100 mg/L的浓度下该探针也无毒。