title: Doped semiconductor nanocrystal based fluorescent cellular imaging probes.
abstract: Doped semiconductor nanocrystals such as Mn doped ZnS, Mn doped ZnSe and Cu doped InZnS, are considered as new classes of fluorescent biological probes with low toxicity. Although the synthesis in high quality of such nanomaterials is now well established, transforming them into functional fluorescent probes remains a challenge. Here we report a fluorescent cellular imaging probe made of high quality doped semiconductor nanocrystals. We have identified two different coating approaches suitable for transforming the as synthesized hydrophobic doped semiconductor nanocrystals into water-soluble functional nanoparticles. Following these approaches we have synthesized TAT-peptide- and folate-functionalized nanoparticles of 10-80 nm hydrodynamic diameter and used them as a fluorescent cell label. The results shows that doped semiconductor nanocrystals can be an attractive alternative for conventional cadmium based quantum dots with low toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Department of Materials Science, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, 700032, India.
authors.forename: Amit Ranjan
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Maity
authors.forename: Sharbari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palmal
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Basiruddin
authors.forename: Niladri Sekhar
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Karan
authors.forename: Suresh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.forename: Narayan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pradhan
authors.forename: Nikhil R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Jana
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D012666:Semiconductors; D013440:Sulfides / Q000737:chemistry; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D010455:Peptides; D013440:Sulfides; D017967:Zinc Compounds; D005492:Folic Acid; C031238:zinc sulfide