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- 2015 (18) (entfernen)
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- Englisch (18)
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- Fluorescence (5)
- Nanoparticle (3)
- Photoluminescence (3)
- Dye (2)
- Quantum yield (2)
- Standard (2)
- Surface analysis (2)
- Absolute quantum yield (1)
- Allergic airway inflammation (1)
- Alveolar macrophages (1)
The synthesis of water-soluble dyes, which absorb and emit in the range between 650 and 950 nm and display high extinction coefficients (ε) as well as high fluorescence quantum yields (Φf), is still a demand for optical imaging. We now present a synthetic route for the preparation of a new group of glycerol-substituted cyanine dyes from dendronized indole precursors that have been functionalized as Nhydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters. High Φf values of up to 0.15 and extinction coefficients of up to 189 000 L mol−1 cm−1 were obtained for the pure dyes. Furthermore, conjugates of the new dendronized dyes with the antibody cetuximab (ctx) that were directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) of tumor cells could be prepared with dye to protein ratios between 0.3 and 2.2 to assess their potential as imaging probes. For the first time, ctx conjugates could be achieved without showing a decrease in Φf and with an increasing labeling degree that exceeded the value of the pure dye even at a labeling degree above 2. The incorporation of hydrophilically and sterically demanding dendrimers into cyanines prevented dimer formation after covalent conjugation to the antibody. The binding functionality of the resulting ctx conjugates to the EGFR was successfully demonstrated by cell microscopy studies using EGFR expressing cell lines. In summary, the combination of hydrophilic glycerol dendrons with reactive dye labels has been established for the first time and is a promising Approach toward more powerful fluorescent labels with less dimerization.
Molecular imaging of inflammatory lung diseases, such as asthma, has been limited to date. The recruitment of innate immune cells to the airways is central to the inflammation process. This study exploits these cells for imaging purposes within the lung, using inhaled polystyrene nanoparticles loaded with the near-infrared fluorescence dye Itrybe (Itrybe-NPs). By means of in vivo and ex vivo fluorescence reflectance imaging of an ovalbumin-based allergic airway inflammation (AAI) model in hairless SKH-1 mice, we show that subsequent to intranasal application of Itrybe-NPs, AAI lungs display fluorescence intensities significantly higher than those in lungs of control mice for at least 24 h. Ex vivo immunofluorescence analysis of lung tissue demonstrates the uptake of Itrybe-NPs predominantly by CD68+CD11c+ECF-L+MHCIIlow cells, identifying them as alveolar M2 macrophages in the peribronchial and alveolar areas. The in vivo results were validated by confocal microscopy, overlapping tile analysis, and flow cytometry, showing an amount of Itrybe-NP-containing macrophages in lungs of AAI mice significantly larger than that in controls. A small percentage of NP-containing cells were identified as dendritic cells. Flow cytometry of tracheobronchial lymph nodes showed that Itrybe-NPs were negligible in lung draining lymph nodes 24 h after inhalation. This imaging approach may advance preclinical monitoring of AAI in vivo over time and aid the investigation of the role that macrophages play during lung inflammation. Furthermore, it allows for tracking of inhaled nanoparticles and can hence be utilized for studies of the fate of potential new nanotherapeutics.
Bright, long-lived emission from first-row transition-metal complexes is very challenging to achieve. Herein, we present a new strategy relying on the rational tuning of energy levels. With the aid of the large N-Cr-N bite angle of the tridentate ligand ddpd (N,N′-dimethyl-N,N′-dipyridine-2-ylpyridine-2,6-diamine) and its strong σ-donating capabilities, a very large ligand-field splitting could be introduced in the chromium(III) complex [Cr(ddpd)2]3+, that shifts the deactivating and photoreactive 4T2 state well above the emitting 2E state. Prevention of back-intersystem crossing from the 2E to the 4T2 state enables exceptionally high near-infrared phosphorescence quantum yields and lifetimes for this 3d metal complex. The complex [Cr(ddpd)2](BF4)3 is highly water-soluble and very stable towards thermal and photo-induced substitution reactions and can be used for fluorescence intensity- and lifetime-based oxygen sensing in the NIR.
Effect of fluorescent staining on size measurements of polymeric nanoparticles using DLS and SAXS
(2015)
The influence of fluorescence on nanoparticle size measurements using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was investigated. For this purpose, two series of 100 nm-sized polymer nanoparticles stained with different concentrations of the fluorescent dyes DY555 and DY680 were prepared, absorbing/emitting at around 560 nm/590 nm and 695 nm/715 nm, respectively. SAXS measurements of these particle series and a corresponding blank control (without dye) revealed similar sizes of all particles within an uncertainty of 1 nm. DLS measurements carried out at three different laboratories using four different DLS instruments and two different laser wavelengths, i.e., 532 nm and 633 nm, revealed also no significant changes in size (intensity-weighted harmonic mean diameter, ZAverage) and size distribution (polydispersity index, PI) within and between the two dye-stained particle series and the blank sample. Nevertheless, a significant decrease of the detected correlation coefficients was observed with increasing dye concentration, due to the increased absorption of the incident light and thus, less coherent light scattering. This effect was wavelength dependent, i.e. only measurable for the dye-stained particles that absorb at the laser wavelength used for the DLS measurements.
This paper describes the production and characteristics of the nanoparticle test materials prepared for common use in the collaborative research project NanoChOp (Chemical and optical characterization of nanomaterials in biological systems), in casu suspensions of silica nanoparticles and CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs). This paper is the first to illustrate how to assess whether nanoparticle test materials meet the requirements of a "reference material" (ISO Guide 30, 2015) or rather those of the recently defined category of "representative test material (RTM)" (ISO/TS 16195, 2013). The NanoChOp test materials were investigated with small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and centrifugal liquid sedimentation (CLS) to establish whether they complied with the required monomodal particle size distribution. The presence of impurities, aggregates, agglomerates, and viable microorganisms in the suspensions was investigated with DLS, CLS, optical and electron microscopy and via plating on nutrient agar. Suitability of surface functionalization was investigated with attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (ATR-FTIR) and via the capacity of the nanoparticles to be fluorescently labeled or to bind antibodies. Between-unit homogeneity and stability were investigated in terms of particle size and zeta potential. This paper shows that only based on the outcome of a detailed characterization process one can raise the status of a test material to RTM or reference material, and how this status depends on its intended use.
A multifunctional fluorescence platform has been constructed based on gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-catalyzed uranine reduction. The catalytic reduction of uranine was conducted in aqueous solution using AuNPs as nanocatalyst and sodium borohydride as reducing reagent, which was monitored by fluorescence and UV-vis spectroscopy. The reaction rate was highly dependent on the concentration, size and dispersion state of AuNPs. When AuNPs aggregated, their catalytic ability decreased, and thereby a label-free fluorescent assay was developed for the detection of melamine, which can be used for melamine determination in milk. In addition, a fluorescent immunoassay for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was established using the catalytic reaction for signal amplification based on target-induced concentration change of AuNPs, where AFB1-BSA-coated magnetic beads and anti-AFB1 antibody-conjugated AuNPs were employed as capture and signal probe, respectively. The detection can be accomplished in 1 h and acceptable recoveries in spiked maize samples were achieved. The developed fluorescence system is simple, sensitive and specific, which could be used for the detection of a wide range of analytes.
The surface modification of nanometer- and micrometer-sized particles and planar substrates with polyethylene glycol (PEG) ligands of varying length is a very common strategy to tune the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of such materials, minimize unspecific interactions, improve biofunctionalization efficiencies, and enhance blood circulation times. Nevertheless, simple methods for the quantification of PEG ligands are comparatively rare. Here, we present a new concept for the quantification of PEG ligands for maleimide-functionalized PEG molecules and the determination of PEG coupling efficiencies, exploiting the quantitative reaction of maleimide with ʟ-cysteine, and the subsequent determination of the unreacted thiol with the photometric Ellman's test. This is shown for heterobifunctional PEG spacers of varying length and amino-functionalized polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NP) without and with differently charged encoding dyes. The reaction of ʟ-cysteine with the Ellman's reagent was monitored photometrically and with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) to derive the reaction mechanism and to obtain the stoichiometry factor for ʟ-cysteine quantification. Mass balances and quantification of ʟ-cysteine via its sulfur concentration using elemental analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) confirmed the accuracy and reliability of this approach that can be extended to other surface groups and ligands.
The ever-increasing use of fluorescent nanomaterials and micrometer-sized beads in the life and material sciences requires reliable procedures for the measurement of the key performance parameter fluorescence quantum yield (Ff) of scattering particle dispersions and reference systems to evaluate the performance of such measurements. This encouraged us to systematically study, both theoretically and experimentally, the optical determination of photoluminescent quantum yield as a function of the scattering and absorption properties of the sample and the illumination geometry with an integrating sphere method. The latter included measurements with a direct and an indirect illumination. As a representative and easy-to-prepare reference system, we used ethanolic dispersions of 250 nm sized silica particles and the dye rhodamine 101 and systematically varied the concentration of the dye and particles within the typical ranges of spectroscopic and (bio)analytical applications of fluorescent nanomaterials. Based on our measurements, we recommend indirect sample illumination geometry for the accurate measurement of Ff of samples with low or unknown absorption and high scattering coefficients such as dispersions of luminescent particles or fluorescent reporters in biological matrices. This finding is of utmost relevance for all (bio)analytical applications of fluorescent nanomaterials ranging from particle labels and probes over assay platforms to safety barcodes.
Valuable emissive properties of organic fluorophores have become indispensable analytical tools in biophotonics, but frequently suffer from low solubilities and radiationless deactivation in aqueous media, that is, in biological ambience as well. In this report, nanoscaled dyeclay hybrids based on laponite, Na0.7{(Li0.3Mg5.5)[Si8O20(OH)4]}, are taken advantage of to solubilize neutral dyes, which are natively not encountered in water. Previously reported efficiency and solubility bottlenecks of such hybrids can to a large extent be overcome by comparably simple chemical measures, as demonstrated here for two prominent examples, the fluorescent dyes Nile Red and Coumarin 153. On controlled co-adsorption of small bifunctional quaternary ammonium ions (Me3N+C2H5OH and Me3N+C2H5NH2) we observed an outright efficiency boost by an order of magnitude, and a 30-fold brightness gain. Even at higher concentrations, transparency and stability of the hybrid dispersions are retained, rendering them useful for employment as optically functional nanoparticles in bioassays and beyond.
We have studied the mechanisms of water-based quenching of the upconversion photoluminescence of upconverting nanophosphors (UCNPs) via luminescence decay measurements for a better understanding of the non-radiative deactivation pathways responsible for the relatively low upconversion luminescence efficiency in aqueous solutions. This included both upconversion luminescence measurements and the direct excitation of emissive energy states of Er3+ and Yb3+ dopants in NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ UCNPs by measuring the decays at 550 and 655 nm upon 380 nm excitation and at 980 nm upon 930 nm excitation, respectively. The luminescence intensities and decays were measured from both bare and silanized NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ and NaYF4:Yb3+,Tm3+ UCNPs in H2O and D2O. The measurements revealed up to 99.9% quenching of the upconversion photoluminescence intensity of both Er3+ and Tm3+ doped bare nanophosphors by water. Instead of the multiphonon relaxation of excited energy levels of the activators, the main mechanism of quenching was found to be the multiphonon deactivation of the Yb3+ sensitizer ion caused by OH-vibrations on the surface of the nanophosphor. Due to the nonlinear nature of upconversion, the quenching of Yb3+ has a higher order effect on the upconversion emission intensity with the efficient Yb–Yb energy migration in the ~35 nm nanocrystals making the whole nanophosphor volume susceptible to surface quenching effects. The study underlines the need of efficient surface passivation for the use of UCNPs as labels in bioanalytical applications performed in aqueous solutions.