Carbon "Quantum" Dots for Fluorescence Labeling of Cells.
The specifically synthesized and selected carbon dots of relatively high fluorescence quantum yields were evaluated in their fluorescence labeling of cells. For the cancer cell lines, the cellular uptake of the carbon dots was generally efficient, resulting in the labeling of the cells with bright fluorescence emissions for both one- and two-photon excitations from predominantly the cell membrane and cytoplasm. In the exploration on labeling the live stem cells, the cellular uptake of the carbon dots was relatively less efficient, though fluorescence emissions could still be adequately detected in the labeled cells, with the emissions again predominantly from the cell membrane and cytoplasm. This combined with the observed more efficient internalization of the same carbon dots by the fixed stem cells might suggest some significant selectivity of the stem cells toward surface functionalities of the carbon dots. The needs and possible strategies for more systematic and comparative studies on the fluorescence labeling of different cells, including especially live stem cells, by carbon dots as a new class of brightly fluorescent probes are discussed.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology , Beijing 100029, China.|Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University , Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States.
Jia-Hui
JH
Liu
Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University , Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States.
Li
L
Cao
Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University , Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States.
Gregory E
GE
LeCroy
Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University , Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States.
Ping
P
Wang
Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University , Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States.
Mohammed J
MJ
Meziani
Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology , Beijing 100029, China.
Yiyang
Y
Dong
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China.|Institute of Nanochemistry and Nanobiology, Shanghai University , Shanghai 200444, China.
Yuanfang
Y
Liu
Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University , Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States.
Pengju G
PG
Luo
Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University , Clemson, South Carolina 29634, United States.
Ya-Ping
YP
Sun
D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013194:Staining and Labeling
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D002244:Carbon
carbon dots; cell imaging; fluorescence labeling; quantum dots; stem cells; two-photon fluorescence