Carbon Nanohorns/Pt Nanoparticles/DNA Nanoplatform for Intracellular Zn2+ Imaging and Enhanced Cooperative Phototherapy of Cancer Cells

Anal Chem. 2020 Dec 15;92(24):16158-16169. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c03880. Epub 2020 Nov 20.

Abstract

Superfluous zinc ion (Zn2+) in living cells has been identified as a potential tumor biomarker for early cancer diagnosis and cancer progression monitoring. In this paper, we developed a novel carbon nanohorns/Pt nanoparticles/DNA (CNHs/Pt NPs/DNA) nanoplatform based on the clamped hybridization chain reaction (c-HCR) process for intracellular Zn2+ imaging and enhanced cooperative phototherapy of cancer cells. Cross-shaped DNAzyme (c-DNAzyme), hairpin DNA1, hairpin DNA2, and aptamer DNA were adsorbed onto the surfaces of CNHs/Pt NPs, and the fluorescence of carboxytetramethyl-rhodamine was also quenched. After entering the living cells, the c-DNAzyme was cleaved to output trigger DNA in the existence of intracellular Zn2+ and initiate the c-HCR process for fluorescence amplification. Compared with the single HCR process triggered by a single DNAzyme, the c-HCR process could further improve the amplification efficiency and sensitivity. In addition, such a nanoprobe possesses a catalysis-enhanced photodynamic effect by Pt NP generation of oxygen in a tumor microenvironment and increases the photothermal effect by loading of Pt NPs on CNHs, indicating that this is a promising biological method for cancer diagnosis and cancer cell therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbon / chemistry*
  • DNA / chemistry*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Intracellular Space / metabolism
  • Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Molecular Imaging / methods*
  • Phototherapy / methods*
  • Platinum / chemistry*
  • Zinc / metabolism*

Substances

  • Platinum
  • Carbon
  • DNA
  • Zinc