title: Near-infrared fluorescence imaging of cancer cells and tumors through specific biosynthesis of silver nanoclusters.
abstract: Human life toll by cancer, one of the highest among most dreaded diseases in advanced societies, could be reduced by implementing evidence-based strategies for its prevention, early diagnosis and assessment of the progress and suitability of therapies by fast and non-invasive methods. In this contribution, a novel strategy is reported for highly sensitive recognition and in vivo imaging of cancer cells taking advantage of their spontaneous ability to generate silver nanoclusters (NCs) with high near-infrared fluorescence emission by intracellular reduction of innocuous silver salts. Both ex vivo experiments comparing cancer cell models to normal cells and in vivo imaging of subcutaneous xenografted tumor (cervical carcinoma model) in nude mice established the validity of this strategy for precise and selective imaging of cells and tumors. Furthermore, it was observed that the spontaneous self-generation of Ag NCs by tumors in their inside led to drastic reduction of their sizes and often to complete remission, thus providing important hope for new therapy strategies based on cheap and readily available agents.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics (Chien-Shiung Wu Lab), School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
authors.forename: Shengping
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics (Chien-Shiung Wu Lab), School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
authors.forename: Donghua
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics (Chien-Shiung Wu Lab), School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
authors.forename: Qiwei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics (Chien-Shiung Wu Lab), School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics (Chien-Shiung Wu Lab), School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR CNRS-ENS-UPMC 8640 and LIA CNRS XiamENS NanoBioChem Departement de Chimie, 24 rue Lhomond 75005 Paris (France).
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Amatore
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics (Chien-Shiung Wu Lab), School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
authors.forename: Xuemei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000737:chemistry; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D012835:Silver Nitrate / Q000737:chemistry*; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D012835:Silver Nitrate; D005978:Glutathione