Highly Fluorescent Gene Carrier Based on Ag-Au Alloy Nanoclusters

Abstract

For systemic delivery of gene, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been exploited as novel gene carriers because of the excellent characteristics for "visible" in intracellular trafficking. Herein, a highly fluorescent gene carrier was prepared by conjugating polyethylenimines on Ag-Au alloy nanoclusters. This carrier exhibited remarkable high gene transfection efficiencies and relatively low cytotoxicity toward B16F10, HeLa, and CHO cells. More interestingly, the high fluorescent Ag-Au-PEI conjugates showed high quantum yield of 14.56%, which is much higher than most of the reported gold nanocluster-based quantum dots and Ag-Au-PEI possessed bioimaging capacity both in vitro and in vivo.

Keywords: Ag-Au alloy nanoclusters; fluorescent gene carrier; gene transfection; quantum yield.