Bright Fluorescent Nanodiamonds: No Photobleaching and Low Cytotoxicity

Group IV nanoparticles: synthesis, properties, and biological applications

In this review, the emerging roles of group IV nanoparticles including silicon, diamond, silicon carbide, and germanium are summarized and discussed from the perspective of biologists, engineers, and medical practitioners. The synthesis, properties, and biological applications of these new nanomaterials have attracted great interest in the past few years. They have gradually evolved into promising biomaterials due to their innate biocompatibility; toxic ions are not released when they are used in vitro or in vivo, and their wide fluorescence spectral regions span the near-infrared, visible, and near-ultraviolet ranges. Additionally, they generally have good resistance against photobleaching and have lifetimes on the order of nanoseconds to microseconds, which are suitable for bioimaging. Some of the materials possess unique mechanical, chemical, or physical properties, such as ultrachemical and thermal stability, high hardness, high photostability, and no blinking. Recent data have revealed the superiority of these nanoparticles in biological imaging and drug delivery.

High-performance nanostructured MR contrast probes

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a powerful technique in biological molecular imaging and clinical diagnosis. With the rapid progress in nanoscale science and technology, nanostructure-based MR contrast agents are undergoing rapid development. This is in part due to the tuneable magnetic and cellular uptake properties, large surface area for conjugation and favourable biodistribution. In this review, we describe our recent progress in the development of high-performance nanostructured MR contrast agents. Specifically, we report on Gd-enriched nanostructured probes that exhibit T(1) MR contrast and superparamagnetic Fe(3)O(4) and CoFe(2)O(4) nanostructures that display T(2) MR contrast enhancement. The effects of nanostructure size, shape, assembly and surface modification on relaxivity are described. The potential of these contrast agents for in vitro and in vivo MR imaging with respect to colloidal stability under physiological conditions, biocompatibility, and surface functionality are also evaluated.

In vivo imaging and toxicity assessments of fluorescent nanodiamonds in Caenorhabditis elegans

Nanoscale carbon materials hold great promise for biotechnological and biomedical applications. Fluorescent nanodiamond (FND) is a recent new addition to members of the nanocarbon family. Here, we report long-term in vivo imaging of FNDs in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and explore the nano-biointeractions between this novel nanomaterial and the model organism. FNDs are introduced into wild-type C. elegans by either feeding them with colloidal FND solution or microinjecting FND suspension into the gonads of the worms. On feeding, bare FNDs stay in the intestinal lumen, while FNDs conjugated with biomolecules (such as dextran and bovine serum albumin) are absorbed into the intestinal cells. On microinjection, FNDs are dispersed in the gonad and delivered to the embryos and eventually into the hatched larvae in the next generation. The toxicity assessments, performed by employing longevity and reproductive potential as physiological indicators and measuring stress responses with use of reporter genes, show that FNDs are stable and nontoxic and do not cause any detectable stress to the worms. The high brightness, excellent photostability, and nontoxic nature of the nanomaterial have enabled continuous imaging of the whole digestive system and tracking of the cellular and developmental processes of the living organism for several days.

Highly efficient photoluminescent graphene oxide with tunable surface properties

A bright blue fluorescent graphene oxide that originates from passivation of surface reactive sites by amide formation and ring-opening amination of epoxide has been prepared. The surface polarity and charges of the fluorescent graphene oxide can synchronously be tuned by varying the used alkylamines.

Covalent linkage of nanodiamond-paclitaxel for drug delivery and cancer therapy

A nanoparticle-conjugated cancer drug provides a novel strategy for cancer therapy. In this study, we manipulated nanodiamond (ND), a carbon nanomaterial, to covalently link paclitaxel for cancer drug delivery and therapy. Paclitaxel was bound to the surface of 3-5 nm sized ND through a succession of chemical modifications. The ND-paclitaxel conjugation was measured by atomic force microscope and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and confirmed with infrared spectroscopy by the detection of deuterated paclitaxel. Treatment with 0.1-50 microg ml(-1) ND-paclitaxel for 48 h significantly reduced the cell viability in the A549 human lung carcinoma cells. ND-paclitaxel induced both mitotic arrest and apoptosis in A549 cells. However, ND alone or denatured ND-paclitaxel (after treatment with strong alkaline solution, 1 M NaOH) did not induce the damage effects on A549 cells. ND-paclitaxel was taken into lung cancer cells in a concentration-dependent manner using flow cytometer analysis. The ND-paclitaxel particles were located in the microtubules and cytoplasm of A549 cells observed by confocal microscopy. Furthermore, ND-paclitaxel markedly blocked the tumor growth and formation of lung cancer cells in xenograft SCID mice. Together, we provide a functional covalent conjugation of ND-paclitaxel, which can be delivered into lung carcinoma cells and preserves the anticancer activities on the induction of mitotic blockage, apoptosis and anti-tumorigenesis.

Nanodiamond as the pH-responsive vehicle for an anticancer drug

Cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) (CDDP, cisplatin), a widely used anticancer drug, is successfully loaded onto nanodiamond (ND) by adsorption and complexation. The CDDP-ND composite is characterized by IR spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. CDDP is released from the composite in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) of pH 6.0 at a rate higher than in PBS of pH 7.4. Therefore, it is predicted that the ND vehicle would deliver low concentrations of CDDP in the blood, but release much more drug after integration into the acidic cytoplasm, thereby reducing toxic side effects. The complexation between CDDP and the carboxyl groups on the ND surface is responsible for the pH-responsive release property. The drug released from the composite retains the same cytotoxicity as free CDDP against human cervical cancer cells.

Observation of pH-, solvent-, spin-, and excitation-dependent blue photoluminescence from carbon nanoparticles

Highly blue luminescent carbon nanoparticles with photo-luminescence quantum yields of 31.6%-40.6% were prepared by a one-step pyrolytic route from ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid salts and a unique emission that is strongly dependent on pH, solvent, spin, and excitation wavelength was observed.

Two-photon fluorescence correlation spectroscopy of lipid-encapsulated fluorescent nanodiamonds in living cells

Dynamics of fluorescent diamond nanoparticles in HeLa cells has been studied with two-photon fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). Fluorescent nanodiamond (FND) is an excellent fluorescent probe for bioimaging application, but they are often trapped in endosomes after cellular uptake. The entrapment prohibits FCS from being performed in a time frame of 60 s. Herein, we show that the encapsulation of FNDs within a lipid layer enhances the diffusion of the particles in the cytoplasm by more than one order of magnitude, and particles as small as 40 nm can be probed individually with high image contrast by two-photon excited luminescence. The development of the technique together with single particle tracking through one-photon excitation allows probing of both short-term and long-term dynamics of single FNDs in living cells.

Application of Nanodiamonds in Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry

The combination of nanodiamond (ND) with biomolecular mass spectrometry (MS) makes rapid, sensitive detection of biopolymers from complex biosamples feasible. Due to its chemical inertness, optical transparency and biocompatibility, the advantage of NDs in MS study is unique. Furthermore, functionalization on the surfaces of NDs expands their application in the fields of proteomics and genomics for specific requirements greatly. This review presents methods of MS analysis based on solid phase extraction and elution on NDs and different application examples including peptide, protein, DNA, glycan and others. Owing to the quick development of nanotechnology, surface chemistry, new MS methods and the intense interest in proteomics and genomics, a huge increase of their applications in biomolecular MS analysis in the near future can be predicted.

Gd(III)-nanodiamond conjugates for MRI contrast enhancement

A Gd(III)-nanodiamond conjugate [Gd(III)-ND] was prepared and characterized, enabling detection of nanodiamonds by MR imaging. The Gd(III)-ND particles significantly reduced the T(1) of water protons with a per-Gd(III) relaxivity of 58.82 +/- 1.18 mM(-1) s(-1) at 1.5 T (60 MHz). This represents a 10-fold increase compared to the monomer Gd(III) complex (r(1) = 5.42 +/- 0.20 mM(-1) s(-1)) and is among the highest per-Gd(III) relaxivities reported.

Fenton-treated functionalized diamond nanoparticles as gene delivery system

When raw diamond nanoparticles (Dnp, 7 nm average particle size) obtained from detonation are submitted to harsh Fenton-treatment, the resulting material becomes free of amorphous soot matter and the process maintains the crystallinity, reduces the particle size (4 nm average particle size), increases the surface OH population, and increases water solubility. All these changes are beneficial for subsequent Dnp covalent functionalization and for the ability of Dnp to cross cell membranes. Fenton-treated Dnps have been functionalized with thionine and the resulting sample has been observed in HeLa cell nuclei. A triethylammonium-functionalized Dnp pairs electrostatically with a plasmid having the green fluorescent protein gene and acts as gene delivery system permitting the plasmid to cross HeLa cell membrane, something that does not occur for the plasmid alone without assistance of polycationic Dnp.

Receptor-mediated cellular uptake of folate-conjugated fluorescent nanodiamonds: a combined ensemble and single-particle study

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) are nontoxic and photostable nanomaterials, ideal for long-term in vivo imaging applications. This paper reports that FNDs with a size of approximately 140 nm can be covalently conjugated with folic acid (FA) for receptor-mediated targeting of cancer cells at the single-particle level. The conjugation is made by using biocompatible polymers, such as polyethylene glycol, as crosslinked buffer layers. Ensemble-averaged measurements with flow cytometry indicate that more than 50% of the FA-conjugated FND particles can be internalized by the cells (such as HeLa cells) through receptor-mediated endocytosis, as confirmed by competitive inhibition assays. Confocal fluorescence microscopy reveals that these FND particles accumulate in the perinuclear region. The absolute number of FNDs internalized by HeLa cells after 3 h of incubation at a particle concentration of 10 microg mL(-1) is in the range of 100 particles per cell. The receptor-mediated uptake process is further elucidated by single-particle tracking of 35-nm FNDs in three dimensions and real time during the endocytosis.

The biocompatibility of fluorescent nanodiamonds and their mechanism of cellular uptake

The labeling of cells with fluorescent nanoparticles is promising for various biomedical applications. The objective of this study is to evaluate the biocompatibility and the mechanism of the cellular uptake of fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) in cancer cells (HeLa) and pre-adipocytes (3T3-L1). With flow cytometry and the use of a battery of metabolic and cytoskeletal inhibitors, we found that the mechanism of the FND uptake in both cells is by energy-dependent clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In addition, the surface charge of FND influences its cellular uptake, as the uptake of poly-L-lysine-coated FNDs is better than that of oxidative-acid-purified FNDs at the same concentration in regular medium with or without serum. We also confirm that the proliferative potential of FND-treated and untreated cells does not exhibit any significant differences when measured at bulk cultures, and more stringently at clonal cell density. Further biocompatibility studies indicate that the in vitro differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes and 489-2 osteoprogenitors is not affected by the FND treatment. Our results show that FNDs are biocompatible and ideal candidates for potential applications in human stem cell research.

Prediction and measurement of the size-dependent stability of fluorescence in diamond over the entire nanoscale

Fluorescent defects in noncytotoxic diamond nanoparticles are candidates for qubits in quantum computing, optical labels in biomedical imaging, and sensors in magnetometry. For each application these defects need to be optically and thermodynamically stable and included in individual particles at suitable concentrations (singly or in large numbers). In this Letter, we combine simulations, theory, and experiment to provide the first comprehensive and generic prediction of the size, temperature, and nitrogen-concentration-dependent stability of optically active N-V defects in nanodiamonds.

Selective targeting of green fluorescent nanodiamond conjugates to mitochondria in HeLa cells

Fluorescent cellular biomarkers play a prominent role in biosciences. Most of the available biomarkers have some drawbacks due to either physical and optical or cytotoxic properties. In view of this, we investigated the potential of green fluorescent nanodiamonds as biomarkers in living cells. Nanodiamonds were functionalized by attaching antibodies that target intracellular structures such as actin filaments and mitochondria. Then, the nanodiamond conjugates were transfected into HeLa cells. Transfections were mediated by 4(th)-generation dendrimers, cationic liposomes and protamine sulfate. Using fluorescence microscopy, we confirmed successful transfections of the nanodiamonds into HeLa cells. Nanodiamond fluorescence could be easily differentiated from cellular autofluorescence. Furthermore, nanodiamonds could be targeted selectively to intracellular structures. Therefore, nanodiamonds are a promising tool for intracellular assays.

Protein-functionalized hairy diamond nanoparticles

Diazonium salt chemistry and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) were combined in view of preparing new bioactive hairy diamond nanoparticles containing, or potentially containing, nitrogen-vacancy (NV) fluorescent centers (fluorescent nanodiamonds, or fNDs). fNDs were modified by ATRP initiators using the electroless reduction of the diazonium salt BF(4)(-),(+)N(2)-C(6)H(4)-CH(CH(3))-Br. The strongly bound aryl groups -C(6)H(4)-CH(CH(3))-Br efficiently initiated the ATRP of tert-butyl methacrylate (tBMA) at the surface of the nanodiamonds, which resulted in obtaining ND-PtBMA hybrids. The grafted chain thickness, estimated from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), was found to increase linearly with respect to time before reaching a plateau value of ca. 2 nm. These nanoobjects were further hydrolyzed into ND-PMAA (where PMAA is the poly(methacrylic acid) graft) and further decorated by bovine serum albumin through the 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) coupling procedure.

Nanodiamond-mediated delivery of water-insoluble therapeutics

A broad array of water-insoluble compounds has displayed therapeutically relevant properties toward a spectrum of medical and physiological disorders, including cancer and inflammation. However, the continued search for scalable, facile, and biocompatible routes toward mediating the dispersal of these compounds in water has limited their widespread application in medicine. Here we demonstrate a platform approach of water-dispersible, nanodiamond cluster-mediated interactions with several therapeutics to enhance their suspension in water with preserved functionality, thereby enabling novel treatment paradigms that were previously unrealized. These therapeutics include Purvalanol A, a highly promising compound for hepatocarcinoma (liver cancer) treatment, 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT), an emerging drug for the treatment of breast cancer, as well as dexamethasone, a clinically relevant anti-inflammatory that has addressed an entire spectrum of diseases that span complications from blood and brain cancers to rheumatic and renal disorders. Given the scalability of nanodiamond processing and functionalization, this novel approach serves as a facile, broadly impacting and significant route to translate water-insoluble compounds toward treatment-relevant scenarios.

Microwave synthesis of fluorescent carbon nanoparticles with electrochemiluminescence properties

We present a facile, economical microwave pyrolysis approach to synthesize fluorescent carbon nanoparticles with electrochemiluminescence properties.

Nanoparticles for optical molecular imaging of atherosclerosis

Molecular imaging contributes to future personalized medicine dedicated to the treatment of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality in industrialized countries. Endoscope-compatible optical imaging techniques would offer a stand-alone alternative and high spatial resolution validation technique to clinically accepted imaging techniques in the (intravascular) assessment of vulnerable atherosclerotic lesions, which are predisposed to initiate acute clinical events. Efficient optical visualization of molecular epitopes specific for vulnerable atherosclerotic lesions requires targeting of high-quality optical-contrast-enhancing particles. In this review, we provide an overview of both current optical nanoparticles and targeting ligands for optical molecular imaging of atherosclerotic lesions and speculate on their applicability in the clinical setting.

Nanodiamond-polymer composite fibers and coatings

While nanocrystalline diamond is quickly becoming one of the most widely studied nanomaterials, achieving a large fraction of diamond nanoparticles in a polymer coating has been an unresolved problem. In this work, polymer nano- and microfibers containing high loadings of 5 nm diamond particles (up to 80 wt % in polyacrylonitrile and 40% in polyamide 11) have been demonstrated using electrospun nanofibers as a delivery vehicle. The electrospun nanofibers with a high load of nanodiamond in the polymers were fused into thin transparent films, which had high mechanical properties; an improvement of 4 times for the Young's modulus and 2 times for the hardness was observed already at 20% nanodiamond in polyamide 11. These films can provide UV protection and scratch resistance to a variety of surfaces, especially in applications where a combination of mechanical, thermal, and dielectric properties is required.

Nanodiamonds for nanomedicine

Recent studies on carbon nanomaterials for biological applications revealed that carbon nanodiamonds are much more biocompatible than most other carbon nanomaterials, including carbon blacks, fullerenes and carbon nanotubes. The noncytotoxic nature of nanodiamonds, together with their unique strong and stable photoluminescence, tiny size, large specific surface area and ease with which they can be functionalized with biomolecules, makes nanodiamonds attractive for various biomedical applications both in vitro and in vivo. In this article, we present some of the important issues concerning the synthesis and surface functionalization of diamond nanoparticles for nanomedicine as well as an overview of the recent progress in this exciting field by focusing on the potential use of nanodiamonds and their derivatives for single particle imaging in cells, drug delivery, protein separation and biosensing.

Detonation nanodiamond: an organic platform for the suzuki coupling of organic molecules

Detonation nanodiamond possesses facile surface functional groups and can be chemically processed for many engineering applications. In this work, we demonstrate the functionalization of nanoscale diamond particles with aryl organics using Suzuki coupling reactions. In route one, hydrogenated nanodiamond is derivatized with aryl diazonium to form the bromophenyl-nanodiamond complex, this is subsequently reacted with phenyl boronic acid to generate the biphenyl adduct. In route two, the nanodiamond is first derivatized with boronic acid groups to form the boronic acid-nanodiamond complex, this is followed by Suzuki cross coupling with arenediazonium tetrafluroborate salts to generate the biphenyl product. Good chemoselectivity can be obtained in both routes. The efficiencies of the Suzuki coupling reaction can be further improved by performing the chemistry in a microreactor where electro-osmotic flow accelerates the mixing of reactants. Using the Suzuki coupling reactions, we can functionalize nanodiamond with trifluoroaryls and increase the solubilities of nanodiamond in ethanol and hexane. Fluorescent nanodiamond can be generated by the Suzuki coupling of pyrene to nanodiamond.