Folic acid modified Pluronic F127 coating Ag2S quantum dot for photoacoustic imaging of tumor cell-targeting

Nanotechnology. 2018 Feb 2;29(5):055101. doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa9acc.

Abstract

In this study, an oil-soluble Ag2S quantum dot (QD) was synthesized through thermal decomposition using the single-source precursor method, and Pluronic F127 (PF127), a triblock copolymer functionalized with folic acid (FA), was deposited on the surface of the QD, then a water-soluble PF127-FA@Ag2S nanoprobe with targeting ability was fabricated. The as-prepared PF127-FA@Ag2S exhibited spheroidal morphology and high dispersibility, with average diameters of 115 ± 20.7 nm (as observed by transmission electron microscopy). No obvious toxicity of the PF127-FA@Ag2S nanoprobe was found in standard 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and colony-formation assay, indicating good biocompatibility and safety. The resulting PF127-FA@Ag2S exhibited excellent stability between 4 °C-40 °C. Additionally, the capacity of the tumor cell-targeting high contrast enhanced photoacoustic imaging of PF127-FA@Ag2S was verified in comparison with A547 and HeLa cells. In other words, the excellent properties of PF127-FA@Ag2S show great potential in further research for targeting and photoacoustic imaging.

MeSH terms

  • A549 Cells
  • Cell Death
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Dynamic Light Scattering
  • Folic Acid / chemistry*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Oils / chemistry
  • Particle Size
  • Photoacoustic Techniques / methods*
  • Photoelectron Spectroscopy
  • Poloxamer / chemistry*
  • Quantum Dots / chemistry*
  • Quantum Dots / ultrastructure
  • Silver Compounds / chemistry*
  • Solubility
  • Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
  • Static Electricity

Substances

  • Oils
  • Silver Compounds
  • Poloxamer
  • Folic Acid
  • silver sulfide