title: Quantum dots for tracking cellular transport of lectin-functionalized nanoparticles.
abstract: Successful drug delivery by functionalized nanocarriers largely depends on their efficient intracellular transport which has not yet been fully understood. We developed a new tracking technique by encapsulating quantum dots into the core of wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated nanoparticles (WGA-NP) to track cellular transport of functionalized nanocarriers. The resulting nanoparticles showed no changes in particle size, zeta potential or biobinding activity, and the loaded probe presented excellent photostability and tracking ability. Taking advantage of these properties, cellular transport profiles of WGA-NP in Caco-2 cells was demonstrated. The cellular uptake begins with binding of WGA to its receptor at the cell surface. The subsequent endocytosis happened in a cytoskeleton-dependent manner and by means of clathrin and caveolae-mediated mechanisms. After endosome creating, transport occurs to both trans-Golgi and lysosome. Our study provides new evidences for quantum dots as a cellular tracking probe of nanocarriers and helps understand intracellular transport profile of lectin-functionalized nanoparticles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaoling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bingxian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jiyao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Hongzhuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xinguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004705:Endocytosis; D011992:Endosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008247:Lysosomes; D010316:Particle Size; D045663:Quantum Dots; D014909:Wheat Germ Agglutinins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D021601:trans-Golgi Network / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D014909:Wheat Germ Agglutinins