Engineering Research Center of Molecular & Neuroimaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710071, China.
Curr Med Chem. 2021;28(3):496-513. doi: 10.2174/0929867327666200102122737.
Quantum Dots (QDs), whose diameters are often limited to 10 nm, have been of interest to researchers for their unique optical characteristics, which are attributed to quantum confinement. Following their early application in the electrical industry as light-emitting diode materials, semiconductor nanocrystals have continued to show great potential in clinical diagnosis and biomedical applications. The conventional physical and chemical pathways for QD syntheses typically require harsh conditions and hazardous reagents, and these products encounter non-hydrophilic problems due to organic capping ligands when they enter the physiological environment. The natural reducing abilities of living organisms, especially microbes, are then exploited to prepare QDs from available metal precursors. Low-cost and eco-friendly biosynthesis approaches have the potential for further biomedical applications which benefit from the good biocompatibility of protein-coated QDs. The surface biomass offers many binding sites to modify substances or target ligands, therefore achieving multiple functions through simple and efficient operations. Biosynthetic QDs could function as bioimaging and biolabeling agents because of their luminescence properties similar to those of chemical QDs. In addition, extensive research has been carried out on the antibacterial activity, metal ion detection and bioremediation. As a result, this review details the advanced progress of biomedical applications of biosynthesized QDs and illustrates these principles as clearly as possible.
量子点（QDs）的直径通常限制在 10nm 以内，由于其独特的光学特性，包括量子限域效应，引起了研究人员的关注。在早期应用于电致发光二极管材料之后，半导体纳米晶体在临床诊断和生物医学应用中继续显示出巨大的潜力。传统的量子点合成物理和化学途径通常需要苛刻的条件和危险的试剂，并且当这些产品进入生理环境时，由于有机封端配体的存在，会遇到非亲水性问题。然后，利用生物体，特别是微生物的天然还原能力，从可用的金属前体制备量子点。低成本和环保的生物合成方法有可能进一步应用于生物医学领域，因为蛋白质包覆的量子点具有良好的生物相容性。表面生物质提供了许多结合位点来修饰物质或靶向配体，因此通过简单高效的操作实现多种功能。由于其发光性质类似于化学量子点，生物合成量子点可用作生物成像和生物标记物。此外，已经对其抗菌活性、金属离子检测和生物修复进行了广泛的研究。因此，本文详细介绍了生物合成量子点在生物医学应用方面的最新进展，并尽可能清晰地阐明了这些原理。
