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Carbon quantum Dot@Silver nanocomposite–based fluorescent imaging of intracellular superoxide anion

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Abstract

Silver nanoparticle (Ag NP)–coated carbon quantum dot (CQD) core-shell-structured nanocomposites (CQD@Ag NCs) were developed for fluorescent imaging of intracellular superoxide anion (O2•−). The morphology of CQD@Ag NCs was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, and the composition was characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. CQDs display blue fluorescence with excitation/emission maxima at 360/440 nm, and the fluorescence was quenched by Ag NPs in CQD@Ag NCs. In the presence of O2•−, Ag NPs were oxide-etched and the fluorescence of CQDs was recovered. A linearity between the relative fluorescence intensity and O2•− solution concentration within the range 0.6 to 1.6 μM was found, with a detection limit of 0.3 μM. Due to their high sensitivity, selectivity, and low cytotoxicity, the as-synthesized CQD@Ag NCs have been successfully applied for imaging of O2•− in MCF-7 cells during the whole process of autophagy induced by serum starvation. In our perception, the developed method provides a cost-effective, sensitive, and selective tool in bioimaging and monitoring of intracellular O2•− changes, and is promising for potential biological applications.

Illustration of the synthesis of carbon quantum Dot@Silver nanocomposites (CQD@Ag NCs), and CQD@Ag NCs as a “turn-on” nanoprobe for fluorescent imaging of intracellular superoxide anion

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Funding

This work was financially supported by grants from the Key Research and Development Project of Shanxi Province (International Cooperation Project, No. 201803D421087) and College Science and Technology Innovation Project of Shanxi Education Department (No. 201802040).

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  1. Haixia Liang and Yongzhen Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Biomedical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Jinzhong, 030600, China

    Haixia Liang, Baohua Tian & Risheng Ma

  2. College of Material Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China

    Hongwei Liu, Baohua Tian & Yongzhen Wang

  3. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, Shanxi, China

    Hongwei Liu

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  1. Haixia Liang
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Liang, H., Liu, H., Tian, B. et al. Carbon quantum Dot@Silver nanocomposite–based fluorescent imaging of intracellular superoxide anion. Microchim Acta 187, 484 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-020-04359-8

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