Gamma-radiation synthesis of silk fibroin coated CdSe quantum dots and their biocompatibility and photostability in living cells.
Silk fibroin coated CdSe quantum dots (SF-CdSe QDs) were successfully synthesized via a one-step gamma-radiation route in an aqueous system at room temperature. The as prepared products were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersion spectrum (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) and photoluminescence spectrum (PL). The SF-CdSe QDs were about 5 nm in diameter and exhibited excellent water-solubility and photoluminescence properties. The cellular distribution, photostability and cytotoxicity of SF-CdSe QDs with different amount of SF coatings were also investigated by laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) and MTT assays in human pancreatic carcinoma (PANC-1) cells. All the results reveal that these QDs could be easily internalized by cells and localized in cytoplasm around nuclei. Moreover, SF-CdSe QDs were proved to be low cytotoxicity (the concentration of QDs < 5 microg mL(-1)) and high photostability (the illumination energy density < 2 x 10(-5) W microm(-2)) within PANC-1 cells, which was mainly due to the biocompatible silk fibroin. The resulted SF-CdSe QDs might have many potential applications in tumor imaging and therapy. And the synthesis strategy could be easily extended to fabrication of other nanoparticles coated with silk fibroin.
Chang
Shu-Quan
SQ
College of Material Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, PR China.
Dai
Yao-Dong
YD
Kang
Bin
B
Han
Wei
W
Chen
Da
D
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D019187:Cadmium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005349:Fibroins / Q000737:chemistry*; D005720:Gamma Rays; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D049449:Luminescence; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D045663:Quantum Dots; D018036:Selenium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D047011:Silk / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D018036:Selenium Compounds; D047011:Silk; D005349:Fibroins; C058667:cadmium selenide