Conjugating Luminescent CdTe Quantum Dots with Biomolecules

Targeting ferroptosis for leukemia therapy: exploring novel strategies from its mechanisms and role in leukemia based on nanotechnology

The latest findings in iron metabolism and the newly uncovered process of ferroptosis have paved the way for new potential strategies in anti-leukemia treatments. In the current project, we reviewed and summarized the current role of nanomedicine in the treatment and diagnosis of leukemia through a comparison made between traditional approaches applied in the treatment and diagnosis of leukemia via the existing investigations about the ferroptosis molecular mechanisms involved in various anti-tumor treatments. The application of nanotechnology and other novel technologies may provide a new direction in ferroptosis-driven leukemia therapies. The article explores the potential of targeting ferroptosis, a new form of regulated cell death, as a new therapeutic strategy for leukemia. It discusses the mechanisms of ferroptosis and its role in leukemia and how nanotechnology can enhance the delivery and efficacy of ferroptosis-inducing agents. The article not only highlights the promise of ferroptosis-targeted therapies and nanotechnology in revolutionizing leukemia treatment, but also calls for further research to overcome challenges and fully realize the clinical potential of this innovative approach. Finally, it discusses the challenges and opportunities in clinical applications of ferroptosis.

Single particle level dynamics of photoactivation and suppression of Auger recombination in aqueous Cu-doped CdS quantum dots

Cu-doped CdS quantum dots (QDs) have been synthesized in water using 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA) as the capping agent. They exhibit intense photoluminescence and excellent color tunability, unlike most of the QDs synthesized/dispersed in water so far. Complete characterization of these aqueous doped CdS QDs has been performed for the first time, along with a single particle level elucidation of their exciton dynamics using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Photoactivation via dim/dark to bright particle conversion is observed at higher excitation powers. Dispersive blinking kinetics in undoped QDs reflects the involvement of a broad distribution of trap states. A lesser extent of dispersity is observed for doped QDs, in which hole-capture by Cu-defect states predominates. Excitation fluence dependence of the blinking rate highlights the role of Auger recombination in undoped QDs, which is suppressed significantly upon doping, due to disruption of the electron-hole correlation.

Intense photoluminescence from Cu-doped CdSe nanotetrapods triggered by ultrafast hole capture

Brightly photoluminescent Cu-doped CdSe nanotetrapods (NTPs) have been prepared by a modified hot injection method. Their photoluminescence (PL) has a quantum yield of 38% and decays slowly over a few microseconds, while the PL in undoped NTPs has a rather small quantum yield of 1.7% and decays predominantly in tens of picoseconds, with a minor component in the nanosecond time regime. PL spectra of doped NTPs are significantly Stokes shifted compared to the band edge (BE). Efficient PL quenching by a hole scavenger confirms the oxidation state of +I for the dopant ion and establishes hole capture by this ion to be the primary event that leads to the Stokes shifted PL. A fast decay of the photoinduced absorption band, along with a similar decay in PL, observed in a femtosecond optical gating experiment, yields a time constant of about a picosecond for the hole capture from the valence band (VB) by Cu⁺. The remarkably long PL lifetime in the doped NTPs is ascribed to the decrease in the overlap between the wavefunctions of the photogenerated electrons and the captured hole. Hot carrier relaxation processes, triggered by excitation at energies greater than the band gap, leave their signature in a rise time of few hundreds of femtoseconds, in the ground state bleach recovery kinetics. Hence, a complete picture of exciton dynamics in the doped NTPs has been obtained using ultrafast spectroscopic techniques working in tandem.

Competition between Photoinduced Electron Transfer and Resonance Energy Transfer in an Example of Substituted Cytochrome c-Quantum Dot Systems

Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are nanoparticles that are able to photoreduce redox proteins by electron transfer (ET). QDs are also able to transfer energy by resonance energy transfer (RET). Here, we address the question of the competition between these two routes of QDs’ excitation quenching, using cadmium telluride QDs and cytochrome c (CytC) or its metal-substituted derivatives. We used both oxidized and reduced versions of native CytC, as well as fluorescent, nonreducible Zn(II)CytC, Sn(II)CytC, and metal-free porphyrin CytC. We found that all of the CytC versions quench QD fluorescence, although the interaction may be described differently in terms of static and dynamic quenching. QDs may be quenchers of fluorescent CytC derivatives, with significant differences in effectiveness depending on QD size. SnCytC and porphyrin CytC increased the rate of Fe(III)CytC photoreduction, and Fe(II)CytC slightly decreased the rate and ZnCytC presence significantly decreased the rate and final level of reduced FeCytC. These might be partially explained by the tendency to form a stable complex between protein and QDs, which promoted RET and collisional quenching. Our findings show that there is a net preference for photoinduced ET over other ways of energy transfer, at least partially, due to a lack of donors, regenerating a hole at QDs and leading to irreversibility of ET events. There may also be a common part of pathways leading to photoinduced ET and RET. The nature of synergistic action observed in some cases allows the hypothesis that RET may be an additional way to power up the ET.

PARAFAC study of L-cys@CdTe QDs interaction to BSA, cytochrome c and trypsin: An approach through electrostatic and covalent bonds

Utilizing fluorescence spectroscopy, non-covalent and covalent interactions of L-cys@CdTe quantum dots to bovine serum albumin (BSA), cytochrome c and trypsin were investigated. L-cys@CdTe QDs with the emission maximum at 530 nm and an average diameter of 2.6 nm were synthesized in the aqueous medium. Formaldehyde, N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) with N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS), and glutaraldehyde was applied as cross-linkers. In the case of both electrostatic and covalent strategies PARAFAC, as a powerful multi-way chemometrics technique, was utilized to analyze fluorescence excitation-emission (EEM) spectra. For non-covalent and covalent bonding, two and three significant components composed the PARAFAC models. Resolved EEM shows that in the presence of formaldehyde, a new component with an emission peak similar to BSA was obtained. Using EDC-NHS cross-linker, the fluorescence peak of the newly formed component was in a distinct wavelength with similar emission intensity, compared to L-cys@CdTe QDs and BSA. Employing glutaraldehyde, a distinguished component was easily detected at emission wavelengths higher than that of L-cys@CdTe QDs and proteins. It was concluded that the choice of cross-linker is a critical step to create different emission spectra when dealing with nano-bio-conjugations. This study shows that glutaraldehyde cross-linker leads to increase sensitivity, selectivity, and accuracy of protein analysis.

Transferrin-navigation Nano Artificial Antibody Fluorescence Recognition of Circulating Tumor Cells

Specific recognition of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is of great significance for cancer diagnosis and personalized therapy. The antibodies and aptamer are commonly used for recognition of CTCs, but they often suffer from low stability and high cost. Therefore, chemically stable and low-cost artificial recognition elements are still highly demanded. Herein, we prepared nano artificial antibody based on molecular imprinting and applied for fluorescence recognition of CTCs. Surface imprinting was employed to construct a transferrin (TRA)-imprinted layer on the surface of rhodamine doped silica nanoparticles. Take advantage of the specific interaction between TRA and TRA receptor (overexpressed on cancer cells), the as-prepared TRA-imprinted artificial antibody was allowed for specific targeting cancer cells mediated by TRA. And the average recognition efficiency of the artificial antibody for the cancer cells was 88% through flow cytometry. Finally, the nano artificial antibody was successfully applied to specific identify mimetic CTCs, under the same conditions, the recognition ability of artificial antibody for CTCs was 8 times higher than the white blood cells.

Fluorescence-based CdTe nanosensor for sensitive detection of cytochrome C

Cytochrome c (Cyt c) is commonly used as intrinsic biomarker for several characteristics of the cell such as respiration, energy level and apoptosis. In the present study a simple colorimetric sensor should be developed and tested for the real-time detection of Cyt c in living cells. We synthesized cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe QDs) capped with thioglycolic acid (TGA) as a fluorometric Cyt c nanosensor. The synthesized TGA/CdTe QDs nanosensor was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and absorption as well as fluorescence spectrophotometry. We investigated the developed TGA/CdTe QDs sensor with regard to its applicability in the fluorometric detection of Cyt c. Results showed that the TGA/CdTe QDs could be used as a sensitive fluorescence probe for the quantification of different concentrations of Cyt c ranging from 0.5 - 2.5μM. Increased binding of QDs to Cyt c results in decreasing fluorescence. The fluorescence of the QDs is inversely correlated to the Cyt c concentration. Based on these data, a standard curve up to 2.5μM Cyt c was established. Moreover, the developed nanosensor was applied in different concentrations on primary human dermal fibroblasts. Results showed that TGA/CdTe QDs were taken up by cells and could be visualized by fluorescence microscopy. Quantification of Cyt c within living cells via QDs is, however, influenced by various factors such as cell damage, QD aggregation or the level of reactive oxygen species, which have to be taken into account.

Nanomedicine approaches in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the malignancy with the highest incidence amongst children (26% of all cancer cases), being surpassed only by the cancers of the brain and of the nervous system. The most recent research on ALL is focusing on new molecular therapies, like targeting specific biological structures in key points in the cell cycle, or using selective inhibitors for transmembranary proteins involved in cell signalling, and even aiming cell surface receptors with specifically designed antibodies for active targeting. Nanomedicine approaches, especially by the use of nanoparticle-based compounds for the delivery of drugs, cancer diagnosis or therapeutics may represent new and modern ways in the near future anti-cancer therapies. This review offers an overview on the recent role of nanomedicine in the detection and treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia as resulting from a thorough literature survey. A short introduction on the basics of ALL is presented followed by the description of the conventional methods used in the ALL detection and treatment. We follow our discussion by introducing some of the general nano-strategies used for cancer detection and treatment. The detailed role of organic and inorganic nanoparticles in ALL applications is further presented, with a special focus on gold nanoparticle-based nanocarriers of antileukemic drugs.

Tunneling of redox enzymes to design nano-probes for monitoring NAD(+) dependent bio-catalytic activity

Monitoring of bio-catalytic events by using nano-probes is of immense interest due to unique optical properties of metal nanoparticles. In the present study, tunneling of enzyme activity was achieved using redox cofactors namely oxidized cytochrome-c (Cyt-c) and Co-enzyme-Q (Co-Q) immobilized on Quantum dots (QDs) which acted as a bio-probe for NAD(+) dependent dehydrogenase catalyzed reaction. We studied how electron transfer from substrate to non-native electron acceptors can differentially modify photoluminescence properties of CdTe QDs. Two probes were designed, QD-Ox-Cyt-c and QD-Ox-Co-Q, which were found to quench the fluorescence of QDs. However, formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FDH) catalyzed reduction of Cyt-c and Co-Q on the surface of QDs lead to fluorescence turn-on of CdTe QDs. This phenomenon was successfully used for the detection of HCHO in the range of 0.01-100,000ng/mL (LOD of 0.01ng/mL) using both QD-Ox-Cyt-c (R(2)=0.93) and QD-Ox-Co-Q (R(2)=0.96). Further probe performance and stability in samples like milk, wine and fruit juice matrix were studied and we could detect HCHO in range of 0.001-100,000ng/mL (LOD of 0.001ng/mL) with good stability and sensitivity of probe in real samples (R(2)=0.97). Appreciable recovery and detection sensitivity in the presence of metal ions suggests that the developed nano-probes can be used successfully for monitoring dehydrogenase based bio-catalytic events even in the absence of NAD(+). Proposed method is advantageous over classical methods as clean up/ derivatization of samples is not required for formaldehyde detection.

Ratiometric fluorescence sensor arrays based on quantum dots for detection of proteins

Optical cross-reactive sensor arrays have recently been demonstrated as a powerful tool for high-throughput protein analysis.

A dual-mode luminescent probe composed of co-assembled down-conversion CdTe and up-conversion NaYF4:Yb,Tm(Er) nanoparticles

Water-dispersible dual-mode luminescent probes are fabricated by co-assembling down-conversion CdTe and up-conversion NaYF₄:Yb,Tm(Er) nanoparticles via a ligand-exchange strategy.

Terminal supraparticle assemblies from similarly charged protein molecules and nanoparticles

Self-assembly of proteins and inorganic nanoparticles into terminal assemblies makes possible a large family of uniformly sized hybrid colloids. These particles can be compared in terms of utility, versatility and multifunctionality to other known types of terminal assemblies. They are simple to make and offer theoretical tools for designing their structure and function. To demonstrate such assemblies, we combine cadmium telluride nanoparticles with cytochrome C protein and observe spontaneous formation of spherical supraparticles with a narrow size distribution. Such self-limiting behaviour originates from the competition between electrostatic repulsion and non-covalent attractive interactions. Experimental variation of supraparticle diameters for several assembly conditions matches predictions obtained in simulations. Similar to micelles, supraparticles can incorporate other biological components as exemplified by incorporation of nitrate reductase. Tight packing of nanoscale components enables effective charge and exciton transport in supraparticles and bionic combination of properties as demonstrated by enzymatic nitrate reduction initiated by light absorption in the nanoparticle.

Redox heme-proteins mediated fluorescence of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots

The redox properties of cytochrome c (Cyt c), hemoglobin (Hb) and myoglobin (Mb) were studied based on electrostatic interactions between Thioglycolic acid (TGA) capped CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) and proteins. Results indicated that only Cyt c quenched the fluorescence of the QDs at pH>8.0. Under the optimized conditions, a significant fluorescence recovery of the QDs' system was observed when the reduced form of Cyt c incubated with TGA capped QDs, however, the reduced state of Hb and Mb resulted in a more fluorescence quenching on the same size of QDs. Interestingly, the fluorescence changes of QDs-proteins could be switched by modulating the redox potentials of proteins-attached QDs. Moreover, only the oxidized Cyt c form was reduced by the generated O2(-) that significantly enhanced the fluorescence of the QDs' system, which was also demonstrated by fluorescence imaging in HeLa cells.

Systematic investigation of the toxicity interaction of ZnSe@ZnS QDs on BSA by spectroscopic and microcalorimetry techniques

The interaction of ZnSe@ZnS quantum dots (QDs) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by means of fluorescence (FL) spectrometry, circular dichroism (CD) spectra, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The fluorescence intensity of BSA decreased regularly with the increasing of QDs concentration. The decrease of BSA fluorescence intensity was proved to be a kind of static quenching. CD results show the helicity of BSA decreased from 38.04% to 26.51% with the addition of QDs, which suggests a stronger structural change that is related to a low degree of surface coverage. And also, both ion strength and pH value could affect the interaction between BSA and QDs, suggesting that both the static electronic attraction and H-bond contribute to the interaction between BSA and QDs. The thermodynamics of interaction between BSA and QDs were calculated from ITC data. Both enthalpy and entropy changes were favorable for the interaction in Tris-buffer, while only enthalpy change was favorable for the interaction in NaCl or HCl solution.

Structural changes in apolipoproteins bound to nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries, but the consequences of exposure to the human body have not been thoroughly investigated. Apolipoprotein A-I (apoAI), the major protein in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and other lipoproteins are found in the corona around many nanoparticles, but data on protein structural and functional effects are lacking. Here we investigate the structural consequences of the adsorption of apoAI, apolipoprotein B100 (apoB100), and HDL on polystyrene nanoparticles with different surface charges. The results of circular dichroism, fluorescence spectroscopy, and limited proteolysis experiments indicate effects on both secondary and tertiary structures. Plain and negatively charged nanoparticles induce helical structure in apoAI (negative net charge) whereas positively charged nanoparticles reduce the amount of helical structure. Plain and negatively charged particles induce a small blue shift in the tryptophan fluorescence spectrum, which is not noticed with the positively charged particles. Similar results are observed with reconstituted HDL. In apoB100, both secondary and tertiary structures are perturbed by all particles. To investigate the generality of the role of surface charge, parallel experiments were performed using human serum albumin (HSA, negative net charge) and lysozyme (positive net charge). Again, the secondary structure is most affected by nanoparticles carrying an opposite surface charge relative to the protein. Nanoparticles carrying the same net charge as the protein induce only minor structural changes in lysozyme whereas a moderate change is observed for HSA. Thus, surface charge is a critical parameter for predicting structural changes in adsorbed proteins, yet the effect is specific for each protein.

Folic acid modified gelatine coated quantum dots as potential reagents for in vitro cancer diagnostics

BACKGROUND

Gelatine coating was previously shown to effectively reduce the cytotoxicity of CdTe Quantum Dots (QDs) which was a first step towards utilising them for biomedical applications. To be useful they also need to be target-specific which can be achieved by conjugating them with Folic Acid (FA).

RESULTS

The modification of QDs with FA via an original "one-pot" synthetic route was proved successful by a range of characterisation techniques including UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy, fluorescence life-time measurements, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The resulting nanocomposites were tested in Caco-2 cell cultures which over-express FA receptors. The presence of FA on the surface of QDs significantly improved the uptake by targeted cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The modification with folic acid enabled to achieve a significant cellular uptake and cytotoxicity towards a selected cancer cell lines (Caco-2) of gelatine-coated TGA-CdTe quantum dots, which demonstrated good potential for in vitro cancer diagnostics.

Composite of CdTe quantum dots and molecularly imprinted polymer as a sensing material for cytochrome c

A newly designed molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) material was fabricated and successfully utilized as recognition element to develop a quantum dots (QDs) based MIP-coated composite for selective recognition of the template cytochrome c (Cyt). The composites were synthesized by sol-gel reaction (imprinting process). The imprinting process resulted in an increased affinity of the composites toward the corresponding template. The fluorescence of MIP-coated QDs was stronger quenched by the template versus that of non-imprinted polymer (NIP)-coated QDs, which indicated the composites could recognize the corresponding template. The results of specific experiments further exhibited the recognition ability of the composites. Under optimum conditions, the linear range for Cyt is from 0.97 μM to 24 μM, and the detection limit is 0.41 μM. The new composites integrated the high selectivity of molecular imprinting technology and fluorescence property of QDs and could convert the specific interactions between imprinted cavities and corresponding template to the obvious changes of fluorescence signal. Therefore, a simple and selective sensing system for protein recognition has been realized.

Time resolved spectroscopy of inorganic complexes

Time resolved spectroscopy has revolutionised our understanding of photochemical and photophysical reactions of inorganic complexes. In this review, we briefly describe the most common time resolved optical spectroscopic methods applied to inorganic complexes and outline some examples and highlights from the recent literature. The review is not intended to be exhaustive, but highlights key recent papers from coordination chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, carbonyl chemistry and bioinorganic chemistry, as well as, recent insights from ultrafast spectroscopy into the photophysics of important prototypes such as [Ru(bpy)3]2+ and [Cu(dmp)2]+. A brief perspective is then presented which discusses areas where time resolved spectroscopy of inorganic complexes could play a particularly important role in the next few years.

Recovery of CdS nanocrystal defects through conjugation with proteins

The luminescence behavior of CdS nanocrystals in aqueous solution and in the presence of proteins has been deeply investigated. CdS nanocrystals have been prepared in water by thermal decomposition of a single organometallic precursor assisted by thioglycerol, which acts as capping agent. Different experimental conditions have been explored to gain insights into the parameters affecting the nanocrystal growth. The CdS samples were characterized in terms of absorption and emission spectra, luminescence quantum yields, and decay times. These data together with size distribution analysis gave information on the growth mechanism and on the nature of the trap states formed in different experimental conditions. The emission properties of the nanocrystals in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been examined to test how the electrostatic bioconjugation can influence the optical properties of the nanocrystals. The spectral changes observed upon addition of BSA indicated a direct interaction of the protein with the nanocrystal surface able to recover (at least partially) the defects formed during the crystal growth, resulting in improved emission properties.

Optical recognition of salivary proteins by use of molecularly imprinted poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol)/quantum dot composite nanoparticles

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have long been studied for applications in biomolecule recognition and binding; compared with natural antibodies, they may offer advantages in cost and stability. We report on the development of MIPs that "self-report" concentrations of bound analytes via fluorescence changes in embedded quantum dots (QDots). Composite QDot/MIPs were prepared using phase inversion of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVAL) solutions with various ethylene mole ratios in the presence of salivary target molecules (e.g. amylase, lipase, and lysozyme). These major protein components of saliva have been implicated as possible biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. The optimum (highest imprinting effectiveness) ethylene mole ratios of the commercially available EVALs were found to be 32, 38, and 44 mol% for the imprinting of amylase, lipase, and lysozyme, respectively. QD fluorescence quenching was observed on binding of analytes to composite MIPs in a concentration-dependent manner, and was used to construct calibration curves. Finally, the composite MIP particles were used for the quantitative detection of amylase, lipase, and lysozyme in real samples (saliva) and compared with a commercial Architect ci 8200 chemical analysis system.