title: Highly Stable Near-Infrared Fluorescent Organic Nanoparticles with a Large Stokes Shift for Noninvasive Long-Term Cellular Imaging.
abstract: Fluorescent organic nanoparticles based on small molecules have been regarded as promising candidates for bioimaging in recent years. In this study, we report a highly stable near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent organic nanoprobes based on nanoparticles of an anthraquinone derivate with strong aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics and a large Stokes shift (>175 nm). These endow the nanoprobe with high fluorescent brightness and high signal-to-noise ratio. On the other hand, the nanoprobe also shows low cytotoxicity, good stability over a wide pH range, superior resistance against photodegradation and photobleaching comparing to typical commercial fluorescent organic dyes such as fluorescein sodium. Endowed with such merits in term of optical performance, biocompatibility, and stability, the nanoprobe is demonstrated to be an ideal fluorescent probe for noninvasive long-term cellular tracing and imaging applications. As an example, it is shown that strong red fluorescence from the nanoprobe can still be clearly observed in A549 human lung cancer cells after incubation for six generations over 15 days.
authors.affiliation: Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF) & Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jinfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF) & Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF) & Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zelin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA), Kyushu University , 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Chihaya
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.affiliation: Functional Nano & Soft Materials Laboratory (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF) & Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Chun-Sing
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D016923:Cell Death; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D010782:Photolysis; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes
keywords: aggregation-induced emission; fluorescent organic nanoparticles; large Stokes shift; long-term cellular imaging; noninvasive