Intracellular imaging with a graphene-based fluorescent probe.
Graphene is an increasingly important nanomaterial that has shown great promise in the area of nanotechnology. In this study, fluorescein-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) is synthesized via a polyethylene glycol (PEG) bridge and its application in intracellular imaging is explored. GO is an oxide form of graphene that provides an ideal platform to prepare graphene-based functional nanomaterials via chemical modification. The PEG bridge was introduced to prevent GO-induced quenching of conjugated fluorescein. The fluorescein-PEG-GO conjugate thus prepared exhibits excellent pH-tunable fluorescent properties and, more significantly, can be efficiently taken up by cells and serve as a fluorescent nanoprobe for intracellular imaging.
Peng
Cheng
C
Laboratory of Physical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, P. R. China.
Hu
Wenbing
W
Zhou
Yuntao
Y
Fan
Chunhai
C
Huang
Qing
Q
D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D006108:Graphite