title: Multifunctional quantum dot-polypeptide hybrid nanogel for targeted imaging and drug delivery.
abstract: A new type of multifunctional quantum dot (QD)-polypeptide hybrid nanogel with targeted imaging and drug delivery properties has been developed by metal-affinity driven self-assembly between artificial polypeptides and CdSe-ZnS core-shell QDs. On the surface of QDs, a tunable sandwich-like microstructure consisting of two hydrophobic layers and one hydrophilic layer between them was verified by capillary electrophoresis, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering measurements. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs can be simultaneously loaded in a QD-polypeptide nanogel. In vitro drug release of drug-loaded QD-polypeptide nanogels varies strongly with temperature, pH, and competitors. A drug-loaded QD-polypeptide nanogel with an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif exhibited efficient receptor-mediated endocytosis in αvβ3 overexpressing HeLa cells but not in the control MCF-7 cells as analyzed by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. In contrast, non-targeted QD-polypeptide nanogels revealed minimal binding and uptake in HeLa cells. Compared with the original QDs, the QD-polypeptide nanogels showed lower in vitro cytotoxicity for both HeLa cells and NIH 3T3 cells. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the targeted QD-polypeptide nanogel was lower for normal NIH 3T3 cells than that for HeLa cancer cells. These results demonstrate that the integration of imaging and drug delivery functions in a single QD-polypeptide nanogel has the potential for application in cancer diagnosis, imaging, and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Hubei Bioinformatics & Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China. zydi@mail.hust.edu.cn lbyang@mail.hust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ming-Hao
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Lang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Ji-Tao
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Ming-Zhen
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yuan-Di
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D053769:Nanocapsules / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000080385:Nanogels; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D010316:Particle Size; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011094:Polyethyleneimine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D045663:Quantum Dots; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D053769:Nanocapsules; D000080385:Nanogels; D009842:Oligopeptides; C413692:polyethylene glycol polyethyleneimine nanogel; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; C047981:arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid; D011094:Polyethyleneimine