Cationic polyfluorenes for intracellular delivery of proteins

A cell-permeable fluorescent polymeric thermometer for intracellular temperature mapping in mammalian cell lines

Changes in intracellular temperatures reflect the activity of the cell. Thus, the tool to measure intracellular temperatures could provide valuable information about cellular status. We previously reported a method to analyze the intracellular temperature distribution using a fluorescent polymeric thermometer (FPT) in combination with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). Intracellular delivery of the FPT used in the previous study required microinjection. We now report a novel FPT that is cell permeable and highly photostable, and we describe the application of this FPT to the imaging of intracellular temperature distributions in various types of mammalian cell lines. This cell-permeable FPT displayed a temperature resolution of 0.05°C to 0.54°C within the range from 28°C to 38°C in HeLa cell extracts. Using our optimized protocol, this cell-permeable FPT spontaneously diffused into HeLa cells within 10 min of incubation and exhibited minimal toxicity over several hours of observation. FLIM analysis confirmed a temperature difference between the nucleus and the cytoplasm and heat production near the mitochondria, which were also detected previously using the microinjected FPT. We also showed that this cell-permeable FPT protocol can be applied to other mammalian cell lines, COS7 and NIH/3T3 cells. Thus, this cell-permeable FPT represents a promising tool to study cellular states and functions with respect to temperature.

Multifunctional non-viral delivery systems based on conjugated polymers

Multifunctional nanomaterials with simultaneous therapeutic and imaging functions explore new strategies for the treatment of various diseases. Conjugated polymers (CPs) are considered as novel candidates to serve as multifunctional delivery systems due to their high fluorescence quantum yield, good photostability, and low cytotoxicity. Highly sensitive sensing and imaging properties of CPs are well reviewed, while the applications of CPs as delivery systems are rarely covered. This feature article mainly focuses on CP-based multifunctional non-viral delivery systems for drug, protein, gene, and cell delivery. Promising directions for the further development of CP-based delivery systems are also discussed.