TY - JOUR A1 - Srivastava, Priyanka A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Genger, C. A1 - Welker, P. A1 - Huebner, Oskar A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Multicolor Polystyrene Nanosensors for the Monitoring of Acidic, Neutral, and Basic pH Values and Cellular Uptake Studies N2 - A first tricolor fluorescent pH nanosensor is presented, which was rationally designed from biocompatible carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles and two analyte-responsive molecular fluorophores. Its fabrication involved particle staining with a blue-red-emissive dyad, consisting of a rhodamine moiety responsive to acidic pH values and a pH-inert quinoline fluorophore, followed by the covalent attachment of a fluorescein dye to the particle surface that signals neutral and basic pH values with a green fluorescence. These sensor particles change their fluorescence from blue to red and green, depending on the pH and excitation wavelength, and enable ratiometric pH measurements in the pH range of 3.0−9.0. The localization of the different sensor dyes in the particle core and at the particle surface was confirmed with fluorescence microscopy utilizing analogously prepared polystyrene microparticles. To show the application potential of these polystyrene-based multicolor sensor particles, fluorescence microscopy studies with a human A549 cell line were performed, which revealed the cellular uptake of the pH nanosensor and the differently colored emissions in different cell organelles, that is, compartments of the endosomal-lysosomal pathway. Our results demonstrate the underexplored potential of biocompatible polystyrene particles for multicolor and multianalyte sensing and bioimaging utilizing hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic stimuli-responsive luminophores. KW - Microparticle KW - Fluorescence KW - Sensor KW - pH KW - Quantum yield KW - Multiplexing KW - Imaging KW - Cell KW - Quality assurance KW - Nano KW - Polymer KW - Bioimaging KW - Particle KW - Application PY - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00944 VL - 94 IS - 27 SP - 9656 EP - 9664 PB - ACS AN - OPUS4-55365 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -