College of Chemistry, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition , Nankai University , Tianjin 300071 , China.
Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Neurovascular Regulation , Nankai University School of Medicine , Tianjin 300071 , China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2019 Apr 17;11(15):13954-13963. doi: 10.1021/acsami.9b00288. Epub 2019 Apr 2.
Silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs), especially those emitting red fluorescence, have been widely applied in the field of bioimaging. However, harsh synthetic conditions and strong biological autofluorescence caused by short wavelength excitation restrict the further development of SiNPs in the field of biological applications. Here, we report a method for synthesizing a ruthenium-complex-functionalized two-photon-excited red fluorescence silicon nanoparticle composite (SiNPs-Ru) based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer under mild experimental conditions. In the prepared SiNPs-Ru composite, silicon nanoparticles synthesized by atmospheric pressure microwave-assisted synthesis served as a fluorescence energy donor, which had two-photon fluorescence properties, and tris(4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) dichloride (L) acted as a fluorescence energy acceptor, which could emit red fluorescence as well as had the ability to produce singlet-oxygen for photodynamic therapy. Therefore, the synthesized SiNPs-Ru could emit red fluorescence by two-photon excitation based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer, which could effectively avoid the interference of biological autofluorescence. Fluorescence imaging tests in zebrafish and nude mice indicated that the as-prepared SiNPs-Ru could act as a new kind of fluorescence probe for fluorescence imaging in vivo. By coupling folic acid (FA) to SiNPs-Ru, the prepared composite (FA-SiNPs-Ru) could not only serve as a targeted two-photon fluorescence imaging probe but also kill cancer cells via photodynamic therapy in vitro.
硅纳米粒子（SiNPs），特别是那些发射红色荧光的硅纳米粒子，已被广泛应用于生物成像领域。然而，苛刻的合成条件和短波长激发引起的强烈生物自体荧光限制了 SiNPs 在生物应用领域的进一步发展。在这里，我们报道了一种在温和实验条件下基于荧光共振能量转移合成钌配合物功能化的双光子激发红色荧光硅纳米粒子复合材料（SiNPs-Ru）的方法。在制备的 SiNPs-Ru 复合材料中，常压微波辅助合成合成的硅纳米粒子作为荧光能量供体，具有双光子荧光性质，三（4,4'-二羧酸-2,2-联吡啶）钌（II）二氯化物（L）作为荧光能量受体，既能发射红色荧光，又能产生用于光动力治疗的单线态氧。因此，合成的 SiNPs-Ru 可以基于荧光共振能量转移通过双光子激发发射红色荧光，这可以有效地避免生物自体荧光的干扰。在斑马鱼和裸鼠中的荧光成像测试表明，所制备的 SiNPs-Ru 可以作为一种新的荧光探针用于体内荧光成像。通过将叶酸（FA）偶联到 SiNPs-Ru 上，所制备的复合材料（FA-SiNPs-Ru）不仅可以作为靶向双光子荧光成像探针，还可以通过体外光动力疗法杀死癌细胞。
