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Levin N, Hendler-Neumark A, Kamber D, Bisker G. Enhanced cellular internalization of near-infrared fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotubes facilitated by a transfection reagent. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 664:650-666. [PMID: 38490040 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.03.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) hold immense potential for diverse biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility and optical properties, including near-infrared fluorescence. Specifically, SWCNTs have been utilized to target cells as a vehicle for drug delivery and gene therapy, and as sensors for various intracellular biomarkers. While the main internalization route of SWCNTs into cells is endocytosis, methods for enhancing the cellular uptake of SWCNTs are of great importance. In this research, we demonstrate the use of a transfecting reagent for promoting cell internalization of functionalized SWCNTs. We explore different types of SWCNT functionalization, namely single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or polyethylene glycol (PEG)-lipids, and two different cell types, embryonic kidney cells and adenocarcinoma cells. We show that internalizing PEGylated functionalized SWCNTs is enhanced in the presence of the transfecting reagent, where the effect is more pronounced for negatively charged PEG-lipid. However, ssDNA-SWCNTs tend to form aggregates in the presence of the transfecting reagent, rendering it unsuitable for promoting internalization. For all cases, cellular uptake is visualized by near-infrared fluorescence microscopy, showing that the SWCNTs are typically localized within the lysosome. Generally, cellular internalization was higher in the adenocarcinoma cells, thereby paving new avenues for drug delivery and sensing in malignant cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naamah Levin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Adi Hendler-Neumark
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Dotan Kamber
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Gili Bisker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; Center for Light-Matter Interaction, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
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Garg R, Jaiswal M, Kumar K, Kaur K, Rawat B, Kailasam K, Gautam UK. Extending conducting channels in Fe-N-C by interfacial growth of CNTs with minimal metal loss for efficient ORR electrocatalysis. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:15590-15599. [PMID: 37728049 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr02706f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Achieving a high electrocatalytic performance using a completely metal-free electrocatalyst, preferably based on only carbonaceous materials, remains a challenge. Alternatively, an efficient composite of a carbon nanostructure and a non-noble metal with minimum dependence on a metal holds immense potential. Although single-atom catalysis brings superior performance, its complex synthetic strategy limits its large-scale implementation. Previous investigation has shown that atomic dispersion (Fe-Nx-C) is accompanied by higher metal-loss compared to nanoparticle formation (Fe-NPs-N-C). Therefore, to achieve minimum metal loss, we first incorporated iron nanoparticles (Fe NPs) to N-doped carbon (N-C) and then exposed them to a cheap carbon source, melamine at high temperature, resulting in the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) catalysed by those Fe NPs loaded on N-C (Fe-NPs-N-C). Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the metal-retention in the composite is higher than that in the bare carbon nanotube and even the atomically dispersed Fe-active sites on N-C. The composite material (Fe-NPs-N-C/CNT) shows a high half-wave potential (0.89 V vs. RHE) which is superior to that of commercial Pt/C towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The enhanced activity is attributed to the synergistic effect of high conductivity of CNTs and active Fe-sites as the composite exceeds the individual electrocatalytic performance shown by Fe-CNTs & Fe-NPs-N-C, and even that of atomically dispersed Fe-active sites on N-C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reeya Garg
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)-Mohali, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali 140306, Punjab, India.
| | - Mohit Jaiswal
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)-Mohali, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali 140306, Punjab, India.
| | - Kaustubh Kumar
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)-Mohali, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali 140306, Punjab, India.
| | - Komalpreet Kaur
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)-Mohali, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali 140306, Punjab, India.
| | - Bhawna Rawat
- Advanced Functional Nanomaterials, Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Knowledge City, Sector-81, Manauli, SAS Nagar, 140306 Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Kamalakannan Kailasam
- Advanced Functional Nanomaterials, Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Knowledge City, Sector-81, Manauli, SAS Nagar, 140306 Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Ujjal K Gautam
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)-Mohali, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali 140306, Punjab, India.
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Card M, Alejandro R, Roxbury D. Decoupling Individual Optical Nanosensor Responses Using a Spin-Coated Hydrogel Platform. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:1772-1783. [PMID: 36548478 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c16596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Significant advances have been made in fields such as nanotechnology and biomedicine using the unique properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Specifically, SWCNTs are used as near-infrared fluorescence sensors in the solution phase to detect a wide array of biologically relevant analytes. However, solution-based sensing has several limitations, including limited sensitivity and poor spatial resolution. We have therefore devised a new spin-coated poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG-DA) hydrogel platform to examine individual DNA-functionalized SWCNTs (DNA-SWCNTs) in their native aqueous state and have subsequently used this platform to investigate the temporal modulations of each SWCNT in response to a model analyte. A strong surfactant, sodium deoxycholate (SDC), was chosen as the model analyte as it rapidly exchanges with DNA oligonucleotides on the SWCNT surface, modulating several optical properties of the SWCNTs and demonstrating multiparameter analyte detection. Upon addition of SDC, we observed time-dependent spectral modulations in the emission center wavelengths and peak intensities of the individual SWCNTs, indicative of a DNA-to-surfactant exchange process. Interestingly, we found that the modulations in the peak intensities, as determined by kinetic data, were significantly delayed when compared to their center wavelength counterparts, suggesting a potential decoupling of the response of these two spectral features. We used a 1-D diffusion model to relate the local SDC concentration to the spectral response of each SWCNT and created dose-response curves. The peak intensity shifts at a higher SDC concentration than the center wavelength, indicating a potential change in the conformation of the surfactant molecules adsorbed to the SWCNT sidewall after the initial exchange process. This platform allows for a unique single-molecule analysis technique that is significantly more sensitive and modifiable than utilizing SWCNTs in the solution phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Card
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island02886, United States
| | - Raisa Alejandro
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island02886, United States
| | - Daniel Roxbury
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island02886, United States
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Card M, Gravely M, M Madani SZ, Roxbury D. A Spin-Coated Hydrogel Platform Enables Accurate Investigation of Immobilized Individual Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:31986-31995. [PMID: 34197074 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c06562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been used in a variety of sensing and imaging applications over the past few years due to their unique optical properties. In the solution phase, SWCNTs are employed as near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence-based sensors of target analytes via modulations in emission intensity and/or wavelength. In an effort to lower the limit of detection, research has been conducted into isolating SWCNTs adhered to surfaces for potential single molecule analyte detection. However, it is known that SWCNT fluorescence is adversely affected by the inherently rough surfaces that are conventionally used for their observation (e.g., glass coverslip), potentially interfering with fluorescence-based analyte detection. Here, using a spin-coating method with thin films of alginate and SWCNTs, we demonstrate that a novel hydrogel platform can be created to investigate immobilized individual SWCNTs without significantly perturbing their optical properties as compared to solution-phase values. In contrast to the glass coverslip, which red-shifted DNA-functionalized (6,5)-SWCNTs by an average of 3.4 nm, the hydrogel platform reported emission wavelengths that statistically matched the solution-phase values. Additionally, the heterogeneity in the wavelength measurements, as determined from the width of created histograms, was reduced nearly by a factor of 3 for the SWCNTs in the hydrogel platform when compared to glass coverslips. Using long SWCNTs, i.e., those with an average length above the diffraction limit of our microscope, we show that a glass coverslip can induce optical heterogeneity along the length of a single SWCNT regardless of its surface functionalization. This is again significantly mitigated when examining the long SWCNTs in the hydrogel platform. Finally, we show that upon the addition of a model analyte (calcium chloride), the optical response can be spatially resolved along the length of a single SWCNT, enabling localized analyte detection on the surface of a single nanoscale sensor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Card
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, United States
| | - Mitchell Gravely
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, United States
| | - S Zahra M Madani
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, United States
| | - Daniel Roxbury
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, United States
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Tardani F, Casciardi S, Ruzicka B, Sennato S. Salt enhanced sedimentation of halloysite nanotubes for precise determination of DNA adsorption isotherm. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2020.125400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Sato T, Mello D, Vasconcellos L, Valente AJM, Borges A. Chitosan-Based Coacervate Polymers for Propolis Encapsulation: Release and Cytotoxicity Studies. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E4561. [PMID: 32604927 PMCID: PMC7352910 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21124561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chitosan-DNA (CS-DNA) and Chitosan-Pectin (CS-P) hydrogels were formulated as a sustained drug delivery carrier for drug delivery. For this, hydrogels were prepared by emulsion technique: mixing aqueous phase of the CS and DNA or P solution with benzyl alcohol using a high-performance dispersing instrument. Green Propolis (GP) was incorporated by imbibition: hydrogels were placed in GP aqueous solution (70 µg/mL) for 2 h. The specimens were freeze-dried and then characterized using different techniques. In vitro cell viability and morphology were also performed using the MG63 cell line. The presence of P was evidenced by the occurrence of a strong band at 1745 cm-1, also occurring in the blend. DNA and CS-DNA showed a strong band at 1650 cm-1, slightly shifted from the chitosan band. The sorption of GP induced a significant modification of the gel surface morphology and some phase separation occurs between chitosan and DNA. Drug release kinetics in water and in saliva follow a two-step mechanism. Significant biocompatibility revealed that these hydrogels were non-toxic and provided acceptable support for cell survival. Thus, the hydrogel complexation of chitosan with DNA and with Pectin provides favorable micro-environment for cell growth and is a viable alternative drug delivery system for Green Propolis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tabata Sato
- Department of Dental Materials and Prosthodontics, Institute of Science and Technology, Sao Paulo State University, UNESP, Sao Paulo 12.245-700, Brazil;
| | - Daphne Mello
- Department of Bioscience and Buccal Diagnose, Institute of Science and Technology, Sao Paulo State University, UNESP, Sao Paulo 12.245-700, Brazil; (D.M.); (L.V.)
| | - Luana Vasconcellos
- Department of Bioscience and Buccal Diagnose, Institute of Science and Technology, Sao Paulo State University, UNESP, Sao Paulo 12.245-700, Brazil; (D.M.); (L.V.)
| | - Artur J. M. Valente
- Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra, CQC, 3004-535 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Alexandre Borges
- Department of Dental Materials and Prosthodontics, Institute of Science and Technology, Sao Paulo State University, UNESP, Sao Paulo 12.245-700, Brazil;
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Hendler-Neumark A, Bisker G. Fluorescent Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Protein Detection. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2019; 19:E5403. [PMID: 31817932 PMCID: PMC6960995 DOI: 10.3390/s19245403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Nanosensors have a central role in recent approaches to molecular recognition in applications like imaging, drug delivery systems, and phototherapy. Fluorescent nanoparticles are particularly attractive for such tasks owing to their emission signal that can serve as optical reporter for location or environmental properties. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) fluoresce in the near-infrared part of the spectrum, where biological samples are relatively transparent, and they do not photobleach or blink. These unique optical properties and their biocompatibility make SWCNTs attractive for a variety of biomedical applications. Here, we review recent advancements in protein recognition using SWCNTs functionalized with either natural recognition moieties or synthetic heteropolymers. We emphasize the benefits of the versatile applicability of the SWCNT sensors in different systems ranging from single-molecule level to in-vivo sensing in whole animal models. Finally, we discuss challenges, opportunities, and future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gili Bisker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel;
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