title: Fabrication of folic acid-sensitive gold nanoclusters for turn-on fluorescent imaging of overexpression of folate receptor in tumor cells.
abstract: Based on the fluorescence quenching of folic acid-sensitive bovine serum albumin-directed gold nanoclusters (BSA-AuNCs) via folic acid-induced the change of environment around BSA-AuNCs, we have constructed a turn on fluorescence imaging of folate receptor overexpressed tumor cells. In this paper, the primary fluorescence intensity of BSA-AuNCs was quenched via self-assembly of folic acid onto BSA-AuNCs to produce negligible fluorescence background, the linear range of the method was 0.1-100μg/mL with the limit of detection (LOD) of 30ng/mL (S/N=3); In the presence of overexpression of folate receptor on the surface of tumor cells, the primary fluorescence intensity of BSA-AuNCs turned on by folic acid desorbing from BSA-AuNCs, the linear range of method was 0.12-2μg/mL with the LOD of 20ng/mL (S/N=3). Additionally, due to specific and high affinity of folic acid and folate receptor, the probe had high selectivity for folate receptor, other interferences hardly changed the fluorescence intensity of the probe. Moreover, the text for cytotoxicity implied that the probe had no toxicity for tumor cells. Consequently, using the fluorescence probe, satisfactory results for the turn on imaging of folate receptor overexpressed tumor cells were obtained. A novel turn-on and red fluorescent probe for folate receptor overexpressed tumor cells was developed based on the recovery of fluorescence intensity of folic acid-sensitive BSA-AuNCs.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Phytochemical R&D of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, Ministry of Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China.
authors.forename: Hongchang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Phytochemical R&D of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, Ministry of Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China.
authors.forename: Yuqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Phytochemical R&D of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, Ministry of Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Phytochemical R&D of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, Ministry of Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China. Electronic address: dr-chenpo@vip.sina.com.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D058976:Folate Receptor 2 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000737:chemistry; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: C000610095:FOLR2 protein, human; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D058976:Folate Receptor 2; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D006046:Gold; D005492:Folic Acid
keywords: BSA-AuNCs; Fluorescence imaging; Folate receptor expressed tumor cells; Folic acid-sensitive