Bioconjugation of rod-shaped fluorescent nanocrystals for efficient targeted cell labeling.
In the present work, we report a three-step approach for the functionalization of CdSe/CdS core/shell and CdSe/CdS/ZnS double-shell quantum rods (QRs) with either biotin or folic acid. We carried out an in vitro study on cultured cells and fixed tissue sections in which the biofunctionalized QRs were compared with the more traditional CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs), which were also functionalized with either biotin or folic acid. The QR and the QD samples exhibited the same specificity toward the targeting cells. In addition, due to the enhanced photoluminescence of the QRs with respect to QDs, a lower amount of rods was required to image cells. In immuno-localization experiments on rat brain tissue sections, biotin-functionalized QRs have shown the typical protein localization patterns expected both for neuronal enolase NSE and actin, confirming the specificity of the interaction of QRs with avidin, and the feasibility of these materials as fluorescent probes in tissue staining. In this specific targeting study, we could assess via the MTT test, a cell viability assay, the lower toxicity of the CdSe/CdS/ZnS QRs with respect to CdSe/CdS QRs.
Quarta
Alessandra
A
Italian Institute of Technology, via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy.
Ragusa
Andrea
A
Deka
Sasanka
S
Tortiglione
Claudia
C
Tino
Angela
A
Cingolani
Roberto
R
Pellegrino
Teresa
T
D001710:Biotin / Q000737:chemistry; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D005453:Fluorescence; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D049329:Nanostructures; D018036:Selenium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000737:chemistry
D018036:Selenium Compounds; D017967:Zinc Compounds; D001710:Biotin; D005492:Folic Acid; C044696:zinc selenide