title: Protein-Sized Bright Fluorogenic Nanoparticles Based on Cross-Linked Calixarene Micelles with Cyanine Corona.
abstract: The key challenge in the field of fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) for biological applications is to achieve superior brightness for sizes equivalent to single proteins (3-7 nm). We propose a concept of shell-cross-linked fluorescent micelles, in which PEGylated cyanine 3 and 5 bis-azides form a covalently attached corona on micelles of amphiphilic calixarene bearing four alkyne groups. The fluorescence quantum yield of the obtained monodisperse NPs, with a size of 7 nm, is a function of viscosity and reached up to 15 % in glycerol. In the on-state they are circa 2-fold brighter than quantum dots (QD-585), which makes them the smallest PEGylated organic NPs of this high brightness. FRET between cyanine 3 and 5 cross-linkers at the surface of NPs suggests their integrity in physiological media, organic solvents, and living cells, in which the NPs rapidly internalize, showing excellent imaging contrast. Calixarene micelles with a cyanine corona constitute a new platform for the development of protein-sized ultrabright fluorescent NPs.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Route du Rhin, 74, Illkirch, 67401 Cedex, France.|Organic Chemistry Department, Chemistry Faculty, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 01033, Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Ievgen
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shulov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, 02660, Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Roman V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Rodik
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Route du Rhin, 74, Illkirch, 67401 Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Youri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arntz
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Route du Rhin, 74, Illkirch, 67401 Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reisch
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, 02660, Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Vitaly I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Kalchenko
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, UMR 7213 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Route du Rhin, 74, Illkirch, 67401 Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Andrey S
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2423-830X
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Klymchenko
mesh_terms: D001386:Azides / Q000737:chemistry; D047250:Calixarenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002232:Carbocyanines / Q000737:chemistry*; D057930:Click Chemistry; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008823:Micelles; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000379:methods; D010316:Particle Size; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001386:Azides; D002232:Carbocyanines; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008823:Micelles; D011506:Proteins; C089187:cyanine dye 3; C085321:cyanine dye 5; D047250:Calixarenes; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
keywords: calixarenes; click chemistry; cyanines; fluorescence; nanoparticles