叶酸修饰的AgInS2量子点在体外癌细胞成像上的应用

成功制备出高品质的三元AgInS₂量子点。通过配体交换法将油溶性AgInS₂量子点转为水溶性量子点, 通过dBSA修饰水溶性量子点形成配位体壳, 使量子点具有更好的稳定性(4周)。从透射电子显微镜(TEM)观察到dBSA修饰后的量子点的粒径增加, 分散性较好, 并且在可见光区域有明显的光致发光。用叶酸对dBSA-MPA量子点进行修饰, 并通过傅立叶变换红外光谱进行了验证。将得到的FA-dBSA-MPA纳米复合材料应用于能与叶酸受体特异性结合的乳腺癌细胞中, 并在荧光倒置显微镜中检测到量子点成功对乳腺癌细胞进行了标记。与dBSA-MPA量子点相比, 表面被叶酸修饰后的量子点与癌细胞的结合效率显著提高。

Folic Acid-conjugated AgInS2 Quantum Dots for in vitro Cancer Cell Imaging

AgInS₂ quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized using hot colloidal method and transferred into water via a ligand exchange route. To enhance the stability of these QDs, dBSA was coated on the aqueous QDs as a ligand shell. After dBSA modification, a size increase was observed from the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results. The prepared dBSA-MPA QDs exhibited good monodispersity, enhanced stability (stable for 4 weeks) and bright photoluminescence. Then the QDs were functionalized with folic acid (FA) and the successful conjugation was confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The resulting FA-dBSA-MPA QDs nanocomposites were tested in breast cancer cells (MCF-7 cells) with elevated folate receptor expression. Compared to the unconju-gated dBSA-MPA QDs, the presence of FA on the surface of QDs significantly improved the uptake rate of the nanop-articles by the cancer cells.