title: Carbon dots for optical imaging in vivo.
abstract: It was found and recently reported that small carbon nanoparticles can be surface-passivated by organic or biomolecules to become strongly fluorescent. These fluorescent carbon nanoparticles, dubbed "carbon dots", can be successfully used for in vitro cell imaging with both one- and two-photon excitations, as already demonstrated in the literature. Here we report the first study using carbon dots for optical imaging in live mice. The results suggest that the carbon dots remain strongly fluorescent in vivo, which, coupled with their biocompatibility and nontoxic characteristics, might offer great potential for imaging and related biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0973, USA.
authors.forename: Sheng-Tao
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Pengju G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Fushen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Haifang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Mohammed J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Meziani
authors.forename: Yuanfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Ya-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005453:Fluorescence; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon