In biosciences, it is often necessary to follow the pathway of nanoparticles within cells or tissues. The nanoparticles can be used as labeled sensors which may, e.g., address functionalities within a cell, carry other specific agents like drugs or be magnetic for tumor thermotherapy. In the context of nanotoxicology, the fate of a given nanoparticle is of interest. As many methods in cell biology are based on fluorescence detection, there is a strong demand to make nanoparticles fluorescent. Different ways to introduce fluorescence are reviewed and exemplified with typical kinds of nanoparticles, i.e. polymers, silica and calcium phosphate.
© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011