title: Protein-gold hybrid nanocubes for cell imaging and drug delivery.
abstract: Multifunctional biocompatible nanomaterials containing both fluorescent and vehicle functions are highly favored in bioimaging, therapeutic, and drug delivery applications. Nevertheless, the rational design and synthesis of highly biocompatible multifunctional materials remain challenging. We present here the development of novel protein-gold hybrid nanocubes (PGHNs), which were assembled using gold nanoclusters, bovine serum albumin, and tryptophan as building blocks. The green-synthesized PGHNs in this study are blue-emitting under UV exposure and cube-shaped with a size of approximately 100 nm. These hybrid nanomaterials are highly biocompatible as shown by cytotoxicity experiments and can be readily internalized by different types of cells. Moreover, PGHNs can act as nanovehicles that successfully deliver dyes or drugs into the cells. The protein-metal hybrid nanocubes can serve as a new type of dual-purpose tool: a blue-emitting cell marker in bioimaging investigation and a nanocarrier in drug delivery studies.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University , 2699 Qianjin Street, 130012 Changchun, People's Republic of China.
authors: Han
authors: H
authors: Ding
authors: Dongying
authors: D
authors: Yang
authors: Chen
authors: C
authors: Zhao
authors: Zhuokun
authors: Z
authors: Song
authors: Pengchang
authors: P
authors: Liu
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Zhijun
authors: Z
authors: Chen
authors: Jiacong
authors: J
authors: Shen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D004705:Endocytosis; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D036681:Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D010316:Particle Size; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000737:chemistry; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D012235:Rhodamines; C026188:rhodamine 6G; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D006046:Gold
keywords: blue emission; cell imaging; drug delivery; nanovehicle; protein−gold hybrid nanocubes