title: Biocompatibility of silica coated NaYF(4) upconversion fluorescent nanocrystals.
abstract: Here we report the synthesis of uniform silica coated hexagonal-phase NaYF(4) nanocrystals with strong NIR-to-visible upconversion fluorescence and its cytotoxicity and biodistribution in a rat model. The silica coated NaYF(4) nanocrystals were incubated with rat skeletal myoblasts and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and cytotoxicity was assessed by using MTS and LDH assay. Healthy rats were injected intravenously with the nanocrystals so as to further investigate their biocompatibility and tissue distribution. The results from this study revealed that the silica coated NaYF(4) upconversion nanocrystals displayed good in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility, demonstrating their potential applications in both cellular and animal imaging systems.
authors.affiliation: Division of Bioengineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117574, Singapore.
authors.forename: Rufaihah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abdul Jalil
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005459:Fluorides / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008422:Materials Testing; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015019:Yttrium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C525362:sodium yttriumtetrafluoride; D015019:Yttrium; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D005459:Fluorides