Tat peptide mediated cellular uptake of SiO2 submicron particles

Internalization of nano- and microparticles into live cells correlates closely with their potential applications, functions, cytotoxicity and intracellular drug delivery. Particularly, delivery of a large variety of cargoes such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and small particles into cells could be enhanced by some ligands such as Tat peptide. In this work, the ability of Tat mediated cellular uptake was assessed. The Tat peptide was covalently immobilized to fluorescein tagged SiO₂ particles (FITC–SiO₂–NH₂ particles) with a diameter of 200 nm. BCA protein assay determined that the grafting amount of the Tat peptide could be controlled within a range of 0–3.5 μg/mg SiO₂ particles by the Tat feeding amount. Surface immobilization of the Tat peptide did not bring apparent changes on the surface morphology and charge property of the SiO₂–NH₂ particles. By contrast, the surface charge of both the FITC–SiO₂–NH₂ particles and the FITC–SiO₂–Tat particles was reversed from slight positive in Dulbecco's Modified Eagles Medium (DMEM) to slight negative in DMEM/fetal bovine serum, conveying adsorption of plasma proteins on the particles. Flow cytometry measurement showed that the FITC–SiO₂–Tat particles were internalized by HepG2 cells with a significant faster rate and a higher number of particles than that of the FITC–SiO₂–NH₂ particles. Moreover, internalization of the Tat peptide decorated particles was less influenced by the low temperature at 4 °C. The Tat decoration affected the subcellular distribution of the particles as well, resulting in localization of the particles in the cell nucleus. No obvious cytotoxicity was detected for both the FITC–SiO₂–NH₂ particles and the FITC–SiO₂–Tat particles.     

壳聚糖纳米粒子荧光探针的制备和表征

通过低分子量的壳聚糖(LCS)聚阳离子与三聚磷酸钠(TPP)的静电作用制备纳米级壳聚糖微球,并利用壳聚糖链上丰富的氨基与荧光素异硫氰酸酯(FITC)反应从而制备纳米壳聚糖微球荧光探针(NFCS)。结果表明,当壳聚糖分子量为60000,LCS与TPP的质量比为6∶1时,可得到粒度均一的球形纳米粒子,平均粒径为40±3 nm。荧光倒置显微镜观察证实FITC结合到壳聚糖微球上。荧光光谱分析显示NFCS的最大激发波长、最大发射波长与游离态FITC无显著差异。光漂白实验证实NFCS的稳定性比游离态FITC有显著提高。     

Novel drug delivery system of hollow mesoporous silica nanocapsules with thin shells: preparation and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) release kinetics

Core-shell nanoparticles of Au@silica with a diameter of approximate 45–60 nm and wall thickness in range of 3–10 nm were synthesized by using 40 and 50 nm gold nanoparticles as the templates. The mesoporous particles are regulated by 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane addition. Hollow mesoporous silica nanocapsules (HMSNs) were prepared by using sodium cyanide to dissolve the gold cores. The characterization of Au@silica and HMSNs by transmission electronic microscope indicated that the silica shells were uniform and smooth, and also the porosity was proved by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) release experiments. The ratio of hollow core to HMSNs is more than 70%. HMSNs were subsequently used as drug carrier to investigate FITC (as a model drug) release behaviors in vitro. Fluorescent spectrometry was performed to determine the release kinetics from the HMSNs. The release profiles are significantly different as compared with the control (free FITC), which show that HMSNs are good drug carriers to control drug release, and have high potential in therapeutic drugs delivery in future applications.     

A microfluidic chip with a staircase pH gradient generator,a packed column and a fraction collector for chromatofocusing of proteins

A microfluidic device for pH gradient chromatofocusing is presented, which performs creation of a micro‐column, pH gradient generation, and fraction collection in a single device. Using a sieve micro‐valve, anion exchange particles were packed into a microchannel in order to realize a solid‐phase absorption column. To fractionate proteins according to their isoelectric points, elution buffer solutions with a stepwise pH gradient were prepared in 16 parallel mixing reactors and flowed through the micro‐column, wherein a protein mixture was previously loaded. The volume of the column is only 20 nL, hence it allows extremely low sample consumption and fast analysis compared with a conventional system. We demonstrated separation of two proteins, albumin–fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugate (FITC‐BSA) and R‐Phycoerythrin (R‐PE), by using a microcolumn of commercial charged polymeric particles (Source 15Q). The microfluidic device can be used as a rapid diagnostic tool to analyse crude mixtures of proteins or nucleic acids and determine adsorption/desorption characteristics of various biochemical products, which can be helpful for scientific fundamental understanding as well as instrumental in various industrial applications, especially in early stage screening and process development.     

Multiple binding sites of fluorescein isothiocyanate moieties on myoglobin: photophysical heterogeneity as revealed by ground- and excited-state spectroscopy

Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-myoglobin conjugates were synthesized with a binding stoichiometry of one to three fluorophores per protein. FITC binding sites were determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Five lysine residues and the N-terminal amino group were identified as preferential binding sites. The ground and excited-state absorption spectra and the fluorescence decay of the conjugates in the native and denatured state of the carrier protein were analyzed. For comparison, unbound FITC and FITC covalently bound to a polysaccharide (dextran) were studied. For FITC, FITC-dextran and the FITC-myoglobin conjugates, only one FITC absorption peak was obtained in the ground state spectrum. Similarly, the excited state absorption (ESA) spectra of unbound FITC and of FITC-dextran showed only one single maximum whereas two maxima were detected for the native FITC-myoglobin conjugates. One of these sub-bands disappeared following urea treatment of the conjugate. We conclude that ESA measurements of extrinsic fluorophores on proteins can be used to monitor different micro-environments of the fluorophore and to distinguish between different conformational states of the labeled protein. This method can be a useful tool for analysing coexisting protein conformations.     

Detection of proteins on silica-silver core-shell substrates by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

We have employed the proposed Silica-Silver Core-Shell (SSCS) SERS-active substrates to detect four model proteins: lysozyme (a protein without chromophore), cytochrome c (a protein with chromophore of heme), fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-anti human IgG (labeled with FITC) and atto610-biotin/avidin (recognition with labeled small molecules). SERS spectra of these proteins and Raman labels on the SSCS substrates show both high sensitivity and reproducibility, which are due to electromagnetic SERS enhancement with additional localization field within closely packed Ag nanoparticles decorated on the SiO(2) nanoparticles and the aggregation of SiO(2)@Ag particles. We have found that the SERS intensities of atto610-biotin/avidin adsorbed on the SSCS substrates are about 20 times stronger than those from Ag plating on Au-decorated substrate. Moreover, the broad surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of the proposed substrates will extend SERS applications to more biological molecules with different laser excitations.     

FITC标记的叶酸类衍生物的合成及显像研究

本文的目的是研究荧光素FITC标记的叶酸衍生物的肿瘤靶向性。以对氨基苯乙酸为起始原料,合成了N-(2-氨基乙基)-2-(4-氨基苯基)乙酰胺。以DMAP、EDCI作缩合剂,将N-(2-氨基乙基)-2-(4-氨基苯基)乙酰胺偶联至叶酸的α位和γ位羧基,得到叶酸衍生物FA-EA,用荧光素FITC标记FA-EA得到FA-EA-(FITC)2。反应中间体及最终产物用HPLC、1H NMR和MS表征。通过尾静脉注射FA-EA-(FITC)2,观察其在荷瘤裸鼠主要脏器和肿瘤的分布及对荷瘤裸鼠进行活体荧光显像研究。实验结果表明,FA-EA-(FITC)2在肿瘤部位有明显的聚集,在其他主要脏器几乎看不到其分布,说明FA-EA-(FITC)2具有较好的肿瘤靶向性。本研究为进一步研制可用于肿瘤显像的叶酸类显像药物提供了依据。     

Examination of interactions of oppositely charged proteins in gels

Understanding the interactions of proteins with one another serves as an important step for developing faster protein separation methods. To examine protein-protein interactions of oppositely charged proteins, fluorescently labeled albumin and poly-l-lysine were subjected to electrophoresis in agarose gels, in which the cationic albumin and the anionic poly-L-lysine were allowed to migrate toward each other and interact. Fluorescence microscopy was used to image fluorescently tagged proteins in the gel. The secondary structure of the proteins in solution was studied using conventional FTIR spectroscopy. Results showed that sharp interfaces were formed where FITC tagged albumin met poly-L-lysine and that the interfaces did not migrate after they had been formed. The position of the interface in the gel was found to be linearly dependent upon the relative concentration of the proteins. The formation of the interface also depended upon the fluorescent tag attached to the protein. The size of the aggregates at the interface, the fluorescence intensity modifications, and the mobility of the interface for different pore sizes of the gel were investigated. It was observed that the interface was made up of aggregates of about 1 microm in size. Using dynamic light scattering, it was observed that the size of the aggregates that formed due to interactions of oppositely charged proteins depended upon the fluorescent tags attached to the proteins. The addition of small amounts of poly-L-lysine to solutions containing FITC albumin decreased the zeta potential drastically. For this, we propose a model suggesting that adding small amounts of poly-L-lysine to solutions containing FITC -albumin favors the formation of macromolecular complexes having FITC albumin molecules on its surface. Although oppositely charged FITC tagged poly-L-lysine and FITC tagged albumin influence each other's migration velocities by forming aggregates, there were no observable secondary structural modifications when the proteins were mixed in solution.     

Silica-coated Ln3+-Doped LaF3 nanoparticles as robust down- and upconverting biolabels

The preparation of nearly monodisperse (40 nm), silica-coated LaF(3):Ln(3+) nanoparticles and their bioconjugation to FITC-avidin (FITC=fluorescein isothiocyanate) is described in this report. Doping of the LaF(3) core with selected luminescent Ln(3+) ions allows the particles to display a range of emission lines from the visible to the near-infrared region (lambda=450-1650 nm). First, the use of Tb(3+) and Eu(3+) ions resulted in green (lambda=541 nm) and red (lambda=591 and 612 nm) emissions, respectively, by energy downconversion processes. Second, the use of Nd(3+) gave emission lines at lambda=870, 1070 and 1350 nm and Er(3+) gave an emission line at lambda=1540 nm by energy downconversion processes. Additionally, the Er(3+) ions gave green and red emissions and Tm(3+) ions gave an emission at lambda=800 nm by upconversion processes when codoped with Yb(3+) (lambda(ex)=980 nm). Bioconjugation of avidin, which has a bound fluorophore (FITC) as the reporter, was carried out by means of surface modification of the silica particles with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, followed by reaction with the biotin-N-hydroxysuccinimide activated ester to form an amide bond, imparting biological activity to the particles. A 25-fold or better increase in the FITC signal relative to the non-biotinylated silica particles indicated that there is minimal nonspecific binding of FITC-avidin to the silica particles.     

Loading of hydrophobic materials into polymer particles: implications for fluorescent nanosensors and drug delivery

A straightforward method for loading hydrophobic materials into commercially available polymer nano- or microparticles is described. PMMA and PS nano/microparticles were swelled by an organic solvent with an ionic surfactant (SDS) to stabilize the particles in aqueous solution. FITC and Ru(dpp)3Cl2 were loaded into those particles based on the principle of "like dissolves like". Further surface modification of the loaded particles was achieved via layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly. Culture of fibroblasts with the dye-doped, coated particles showed that the cells internalized the fluorescent particles with no apparent toxic effects. The findings suggest the facile process could be useful in a wide range of applications for fluorescent micro/nanosensors and drug delivery.     

凝胶中荧光颗粒原位电泳洗脱过量异硫氰酸荧光素用于图像分析北大核心CSCD

去除荧光标记后残余荧光染料可以提高荧光颗粒检测的灵敏度、准确度和效率。该文发展了一种原位电泳洗脱(electrophoretic elution,EE)模型,用于在荧光标记后快速去除多余的荧光探针,实现荧光颗粒的灵敏检测。将牛血清蛋白(BSA)和磁珠(MBs)作为模式蛋白和微颗粒,混合孵育获得MBs-BSA,用异硫氰酸荧光素(FITC)对MBs-BSA标记,得到MBs-BSA_(FITC)复合物。将含有多余FITC的MBs-BSA_(FITC)溶液与低凝聚温度琼脂糖凝胶溶液按1∶5的体积比混合,并将混合物凝胶和纯琼脂糖凝胶分段填充到电泳通道中。电泳过程中,利用颗粒尺寸与凝胶孔径的差异来保留MBs-BSA_(FITC),同时将游离的FITC洗脱。经过30 min的电泳洗脱,通道内多余的FITC清除率达到97.6%,同时目标颗粒荧光信号保留了27.8%。成像系统曝光时间为1.35 s时,电泳洗脱将颗粒与背景的荧光信号比(P/B ratio,PBr)从1.08增加到12.2。CCD相机的曝光时间增加到2.35 s,可以将PBr提高到15.5,可进一步实现对微弱荧光亮点的高灵敏检测。该模型有以下优点:(1)能对颗粒表面非特异性吸附的FITC实现有效洗脱,提高了检测的特异性;(2)能够将97%以上的游离FITC清除;(3)30 min内能够使凝胶内的背景荧光大幅降低,提高了PBr和检测灵敏度。因此,该方法具有在凝胶中进行基于磁珠/荧光颗粒点的免疫检测、在免疫电泳或凝胶电泳中对蛋白质/核酸条带进行荧光染色等领域的应用潜力。     

毛细管电泳-发光二极管诱导荧光检测法分析肝硬化及正常人血清蛋白质的差异

应用毛细管电泳技术建立了人血清蛋白质毛细管电泳分析方法,对比了正常人与肝硬化患者血清蛋白质含量的差异。使用异硫氰酸荧光素(FITC)进行荧光标记,并考察光源与滤光片的波长、缓冲液的浓度、pH值、分离电压对分离效果的影响。建立了毛细管电泳-发光二极管诱导荧光法检测肝硬化患者血清及正常人血清蛋白质的方法;通过分离检测,获得了两者的蛋白质电泳谱图。经分析,在肝硬化患者的血清蛋白质中比在正常人的血清蛋白质中多检测到2个蛋白质峰,可能是和肝硬化发生相关的特异蛋白质;肝硬化患者与正常人的血清蛋白质电泳谱图的差异有统计学意义。该方法能实现人血清蛋白质的分离,可为临床诊断肝硬化做参考。     

Characterization of a novel particle into liquid sampler for analysis of single fluorescent aerosol particles through capillary electrophoresis

An approach to sample and analyze single aerosolized droplets (<10 nL) of solutions containing fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled glycine (GLY) and glutamic acid (GLU) is demonstrated. The sampling approach is based on inertial impaction in which the sample particle is accelerated through a nozzle and directly into a small drop of buffered solution (20 mM borate, pH = 10) suspended at the end of a coaxial tube of stainless steel and a fused silica capillary. A spherical light scattering cell and laser (λ = 532 nm) is used to detect the arrival of particles at the buffered droplet. Upon dissolution and/or mixing, a portion of the sample is injected onto the fused silica capillary for subsequent chemical analysis by capillary electrophoresis (CE) and detection by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). It was found that the inertial impaction approach sampled particles >1 μm diameter with an efficiency of 80% or greater. At 15 kV applied potential, the FITC conjugates of GLY and GLU could be resolved in less than 120 s allowing qualitative analysis of the contents of single dispersed particles. However, the extent to which the sample is diluted into the buffer droplet varied significantly on a per-particle basis that caused >80% R.S.D. in fluorescence peak heights. This aspect of the method would necessitate the use of internal standards for quantitative analysis of materials present within the particles. It is envisaged that further improvements to the device described may ultimately lead to analysis of the contents of single particles dispersed in earth's atmosphere.     

Characterization and analytical application of surface modified magnetic nanoparticles

Fe₃O₄ superparamagnetic nanoparticles with various functionalities were synthesized using a chemical co-precipitation method and used to demonstrate their analytical applications for protein separation of protein and metal ion extraction. The chemically inert silica layer coated with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) protected the Fe₃O₄ core from a chemical attack and allowed the nanoparticles to be well dispersed in an aqueous solution. Particularly, the beads were resistant to an acidic solution with a pH ≥ 3. The amino (− NH₂) groups were covalently bonded to the silica coated Fe₃O₄, and then the carboxyl (− COOH) groups were functionalized to the nanoparticle surface through the reaction of − NH₂ and glutaric anhydride. The synthesized magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) were characterized using FT-IR, FE-TEM, XRD, and SQUID. The presence of functional groups on the nano beads was confirmed using molecular fluorescence spectrometry. For the presence of the amino (− NH₂) groups, FITC was tagged and monitored using an excitation laser with a wavelength of 473 nm and a fluorescence emission of 518 nm. Biotin was immobilized on the MNP and the fluorescent of FITC tagged on avidin was monitored to identify the carboxyl (− COOH) group.The proteins of Cytochrome C (12,000 Da), Rnase B (15,000 Da), and Myoglobin (17,000 Da) were separated using the MNP functionalized with the carboxyl (− COOH) group and identified using MALDI-TOF-MS. Amino benzyl EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) was immobilized on the MNP for metal–EDTA complexation to use the synthesized magnetic particles to extract metal ions for environmental and clinical application. Cu, Cd, Co, and Pb ions were extracted from ∼ 10 ng/mL solutions in the batch-type procedure and the extraction efficiency was > 90% at a pH of 4.     

Micro-plate magnetic chemiluminescence immunoassay and its applications in carcinoembryonic antigen analysis

A micro-plate magnetic chemiluminescence immunoassay was developed for rapid and high throughput detection of carcinoembryonic antigens (CEA) in human sera. This method was based on a sandwich immunoreaction of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled anti-CEA antibodies, CEA antigens, and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated anti-CEA antibodies in mi- cro-plate. The immunomagnetic particles coated with anti-FITC antibodies were used as the solid phase for the immunoassay. The separation procedure was c...     

Synthesis and characterization of dually labeled Pickering-type stabilized polymer nanoparticles in a downscaled miniemulsion system

Dual fluorescently labeled polymer particles were prepared in a downscaled Pickering-type miniemulsion system. Stable dispersions were obtained and the size of the hybrid particles could be varied between ca. 180 and 430 nm. Silica nanoparticles were employed as sole emulsifier, which were labeled by a fluorescein dye (FITC) or (encapsulated) quantum dots, and the polymer core was labeled by a perylene derivative. Downscaling of the Pickering-type miniemulsion system is intriguing by itself as it allows the use of precious nanoparticles as emulsifiers. Here, silica particles with a fluorescent core and an overall diameter between 20 and 40 nm were prepared and employed as stabilizer. The dual excitation and emission of both dyes was tested by fluorescence measurements and confocal laser scanning microscopy (cLSM).     

Galactosylated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel submicrometer particles for specific cellular uptake within hepatocytes

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydrogel submicrometer particles were prepared by free radical copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and acrylic acid in the presence of a crosslinker above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST). They exhibited a reversible swelling and deswelling behavior: ca. 200-nm diameter below the LCST and ca. 100-nm diameter above the LCST. The hydrogel particles were tagged with fluorescent dye (FITC) in order to monitor the extent of cellular uptake and were further modified with galactose moieties to evaluate the extent of receptor-mediated endocytosis against HepG2 cells. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy were used to investigate cellular uptake behaviors of the submicrometer particles. It was found that the extent of cellular uptake of submicrometer particles was far greater above the LCST than below the LCST, suggesting that smaller particles were taken up more readily within cells. When the submicrometer particles were galactosylated, the extent of cellular uptake increased dramatically due to receptor-mediated endocytosis. This study proposes a new possibility of controlling intracellular events such as protein and gene expression by a thermally modulated endocytosis process using thermo-sensitive microgel beads.     

Exploitation of phosphorescent labelling reagent of fullerol-fluorescein isothiocyanate and new method for the determination of trace alkaline phosphatase as well as forecast of human diseases

A new phosphorescent labelling reagent consisting of fullerol, fluorescein isothiocyanate and N,N-dimethylaniline (F-ol-(FITC)_n-DMA) was developed. The mode of action is based on the reactivity of the active -OH group in F-ol with the -COOH group of FITC to form an F-ol-(FITC)_n-DMA complex containing several FITC molecules. F-ol-(FITC)_n-DMA increased the number of luminescent molecules in the biological target of WGA-AP-WGA-F-ol-(FITC)_n-DMA (WGA and AP are wheat germ agglutinin and alkaline phosphatase, respectively) which improved the sensitivity using solid substrate room temperature phosphorimetry (SSRTP) detection. The proposed method provided high sensitivity and strong specificity for WGA-AP. The limit of detection (LD) was 0.15 ag AP spot⁻¹ for F-ol and 0.097 ag AP spot⁻¹ for FITC in F-ol-(FITC)_n-DMA, which was lower than the method using single luminescent molecules of F-ol-DMA and FITC-DMA to label WGA (0.20 ag AP spot⁻¹ for F-ol-DMA and 0.22 ag AP spot⁻¹ for FITC-DMA). Results for the determination of AP in human serum were in good agreement with those obtained by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mechanism of F-ol-(FITC)_n-DMA labelling of WGA was discussed.     

Solid-support fluorescent derivatization of picomoles of protein at low concentration with FITC

A new method based on solid-support reaction is described to realize fluorescent derivatization of proteins at concentrations as low as 10⁻⁸ M. A simple, low-cost homemade capillary C18 cartridge was fabricated as the solid-support reactor. Using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a test protein, we demonstrated that the protein can be captured by this reactor and then labeled by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC, isomer I) on solid-support. Unwanted fluorescent intruder (excrescent FITC and products of secondary reactions) were removed from target easily. The analysis by nano-HPLC with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection was described. The effect of reaction conditions on the derivatization has been evaluated and discussed. The use of the solid-support reactor allows easy handling of as little as 8.5 pmol of BSA. A fraction from weak anion-exchange chromatography (WAX) of human liver extract was used as an illustrative example of application to real samples.     

A New Fluorescein Isothiocyanate-Piperidine Self-ordered Ring Phosphorescent Probe for the Determination of Trace Protein

The ? COOH in fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) reacted with ? NH? in piperidine (P) to form FITC‐P on the center of indentation of polyamide membrane (PAM) when drying for 2 min at (92±1)°C. Then, the FITC‐P diffused outward from the indentation center and formed the round SOR‐P‐FITC (containing the FITC‐P self‐ordered rings). Thus, multi‐FITC accumulated on SOR‐P‐FITC, leading to the enhancement of RTP signal on bio‐target, whose I_p increased 2.0 times compared with non‐generated SOR. When bovine serum albumin (BSA) was added to the center of SOR‐P‐FITC, ? NCS of FITC in SOR‐P‐FITC reacted with ? NH₂ of BSA to form SOR‐P‐FITC‐BSA, which caused the RTP signal of FITC to enhance sharply. The ΔI_p of the system was 3.4 times higher than that without β‐CD and 4.0 times higher than that without SOR‐P‐FITC formed. Its ΔI_p was linear to the content of BSA. Therefore, a new solid substrate‐room temperature phosphorimetry (SS‐RTP) for the determination of trace protein was established using SOR‐P‐FITC as a phosphorescent probe. Under the optimum condition, the linear range of this method was 0.040–16.0 ag·spot^?1 with a detection limit (LD) of 8.5 zg·spot^?1 (0.40 µL sample solution per spot, the corresponding concentration was 2.1×10^?17 g·mL^?1), and the regression equation of working curve was ΔI_p=3.848+4.240m_BSA (ag·spot^‐1), n=6, correlation coefficient (r) was 0.9993. This method with high sensitivity had been applied to determining the content of trace protein in the water samples, and the results coincided well with those obtained with pyrocatechol violet‐Mo(VI) method (P.V.M.M.). At the same time, the mechanism of SS‐RTP using SOR‐P‐FITC as a phosphorescent probe (SOR‐P‐FITC‐SS‐RTP) was discussed.