title: Dynamically-enhanced retention of gold nanoclusters in HeLa cells following X-rays exposure: A cell cycle phase-dependent targeting approach.
abstract: Cell cycle phase could affect the cellular uptake of nanoparticles. Based on the fact that ionizing radiation exposure can delay cell cycle progression including inducing G2/M phase arrest, we propose that ionizing radiation exposure is a cell cycle phase-dependent targeting approach for intracellular delivery of nano-agents in tumor cells.
  
  
  
  We synthesized luminescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) using a one-pot green synthetic method. Subsequently, we used the as-prepared AuNCs as both "nano-agents" and fluorescent trafficking probes for our study using human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells. Estimating the cellular uptake of AuNCs and cell cycle analysis were performed following X-rays irradiation and cell synchronization.
  
  
  
  Our work showed that X-rays irradiation could delay the division of HeLa cells and thereby enhance the retention of AuNCs in HeLa cells, which is a reverse strategy compared with other studies on synergistic nano-radiotherapy. Our results demonstrated that the cell cycle synchronization influenced the cellular uptake processes of AuNCs, suggesting that dynamic cell cycle progression could affect the cellular uptake kinetics of AuNCs.
  
  
  
  We consider that the radiation-induced cell division delay might provide a possible mechanism underlying the enhanced effect for the cellular uptake of AuNCs in irradiated HeLa cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Weiqiang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Pengcheng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xinguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Feifei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Hongpeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Guozhang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China. Electronic address: liqiang@impcas.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000528:radiation effects; D006046:Gold / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D006046:Gold
keywords: Cell cycle; Cellular uptake; Ionizing radiation; Nano-agents; Synergistic chemo-radiotherapy