量子点在癌症研究中的应用

半导体量子点具有长时间、多目标和灵敏度高等独特的光化学性质,这些特性使量子点成为细胞标记和生物应用中得到了广泛的应用。利用量子点目标定位癌细胞,对于寻找癌变部位具有指导的作用。近年来,利用量子点作为光动力学治疗癌症的能量供体也得到了一定的研究。简单地介绍了量子点独特的光学性质,并从量子点标记癌细胞、可视化癌细胞表面功能和在光动力学治疗癌症等方面综述了量子点在癌症诊断和治疗中的应用。     

量子点在生物学中的研究进展

量子点作为一种新型的荧光标记物近年来已在生物学中获得广泛应用。本文总结了量子点的主要光学特性,其中包括荧光激发和发射光谱特性、量子产额、光漂白特性和荧光寿命等。重点综述了量子点在细胞标记、活体和组织成像、组合标记和光动力学治疗等生物学中的应用及其最新研究进展。同时讨论了量子点在应用中可能存在的细胞毒性等主要问题,最后对量子点在生物学中的应用前景作了展望。     

用量子点标记活细胞

量子点是一种具有纳米尺寸的半导体晶体。与传统的荧光染料相比,量子点拥有许多独特的光学特性,如宽的吸收谱、窄而对称的发射谱、耐漂白、亮度高和荧光寿命长等。由于其出色的光物理特性和相对较小的尺寸,量子点可作为生物学研究的荧光探针。随着量子点合成与修饰技术的发展,其在生物和医学领域的应用已从探索阶段逐步发展到了应用阶段。将量子点应用于活细胞标记,将为揭示细胞内的复杂生命现象提供全新的视野。该文重点介绍了量子点的荧光特性、用量子点标记活细胞所要克服的障碍及基本的标记策略和方法。     

固定剂、封片剂、温度及除菌方式对量子点标记细胞的影响

为了为利用量子点标记细胞、组织,进一步研究其功能提供新的方法,本实验观察了3种发射波长的量子点（quautum dost,QDs）对所标记的小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞和正常皮肤的影响。利用发射波长610mm的红色荧光水溶液（量子点610）、发射波长为523mm的绿色荧光水溶液（量子点523）和发射波长576nm的黄色荧光脂溶性溶液（量子点576）的3种量子点（5mg／ml）以及具有吞噬能力的小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞、正常皮肤为载体,观察不同的除菌方式、温度、封片剂及固定剂对量子点标记细胞、组织的影响,为量子点在生物体内的应用及在生物制片过程中对其性能的影响等研究奠定基础。     

量子点荧光技术标记肿瘤细胞中HSP的应用研究

目的探讨量子点荧光技术对人肾癌细胞株(ACHN)中不同HSP进行标记的可行性应用。方法利用量子点的荧光特性,免疫细胞化学方法检测体外培养的ACHN细胞中量子点特异性标记的HSP70、HSP90、HSPgp96的表达情况。结果共聚焦荧光显微镜下可见ACHN细胞中HSP70、HSP90、HSPgp96均有明显表达,呈现均匀分布的橙红色强荧光,且量子点在持续激发30分钟后无荧光淬灭发生。结论量子点荧光标记技术能够对不同HSP进行标记,且与传统的标记方法相比具有显著优点,可作为一种新型的检测技术应用于科研及临床标记检测中。     

量子点在基因转染中的应用研究进展

量子点因其独特的纳米尺寸效应、光学特性和生物相容性,既能作为纳米载体与目的基因结合,又能作为纳米荧光标记物跟踪记录其在转染过程中的位置,给基因工程的发展带来了新的契机。在阐述量子点用于基因转染的优势、标记基因的方法等基础上,作者系统综述了量子点在基因转染中的应用,并对其发展趋势和应用前景进行了展望。     

量子点在生物医学中的应用

半导体量子点是无机纳米结晶,构成于硒化镉核心和硫化锌外壳.这种荧光标记物的发射光强是常用有机荧光染料的20倍,稳定性是其100倍.量子点的发射波长取决于核心粒子的大小,而每一种单色量子点的发射波长窄而对称.这些光学特性使量子点在医学诊断、药物的高速筛选以及基因和蛋白质的高通量分析方面具有广泛的应用前景.基于量子点的稳定性和生物相容性,有可能通过标记不同颜色的量子点到不同的分子,观察它们在活细胞内的运动.     

量子点的荧光特性在生物标记成像中的应用及展望

与传统的荧光染料相比,量子点作为一种新型的无机荧光纳米材料,具有激发光谱宽而连续、发射光谱窄而对称、光稳定性好、荧光寿命长、量子产率高和生物毒性小等优点,被广泛地应用于生命科学的许多领域,其在细胞标记(固定细胞和离体活细胞)和活体示踪成像领域具有独特的应用优势.它突破了传统的有机荧光染料在荧光性能及生物毒性等方面的不可克服的缺陷.它的应用,极大地推动了生命体系高灵敏、原位、实时、动态示踪成像研究的发展.该文综述了量子点的荧光性质及其在细胞标记(固定细胞和离体活细胞)和活体实时动态示踪成像中的应用,并对其在荧光原位杂交,流式细胞术,实时荧光定量pcr等方面的应用前景进行了展望.     

含镉量子点的毒性研究进展

含镉量子点是典型的量子点,近年来受到广泛研究。含镉量子点的潜在毒性是其在生物成像及生物医药方面应用和发展的关键制约因素,因此,对其毒性作用的研究具有重要意义。目前对含镉量子点的体外毒性研究主要集中在人肝癌细胞(HepG2)、神经分泌细胞(PC12)等细胞实验及斑马鱼胚胎体外培养实验。体内毒性研究包括小鼠等动物实验。这些研究证实,量子点对HepG2等细胞系和小鼠、贻贝等动物均具细胞毒性。研究者们普遍认为,量子点是通过释放其组成中的重金属,诱导生物体产生活性氧自由基,进而引发细胞凋亡或自噬,但对量子点的具体毒性作用机制并不完全清楚。该文对含镉量子点的体内和体外毒性研究工作进展进行了综述,包括含镉量子点对肝肾细胞、神经细胞、血液细胞及免疫细胞等体外毒性研究工作,对陆生及水生动物等的体内毒性研究工作,旨在更好、更全面地评估含镉量子点的毒性,为今后对量子点的毒性作用机制研究提供方向,促进含镉量子点在生物医学方面的发展和应用。     

量子点标记活细胞内GLUT4 蛋白的研究

目的:研究量子点标记活细胞内GLUT4蛋白的方法,用于长时程观察活细胞内GLUT4的转运过程。方法:使用在GLUT4蛋白膜外区构建了myc位点的L6-GLUT4myc细胞系,用胰岛素刺激L6细胞内的GLUT4myc转运到细胞膜上,通过抗体抗原反应先后将一抗9E10和偶联二抗IgG的量子点与特异性位点结合。结果:通过量子点标记固定细胞内GLUT4的实验,证明了标记方法的特异性和灵敏性。量子点能够标记细胞膜表面的GLUT4蛋白并伴随GLUT4的胞吞进入细胞。适当调整实验温度,用量子点标记细胞膜上的GLUT4并且在实验过程结束后将标记了量子点的GLUT4保持在细胞膜表面,能够观察活细胞内GLUT4蛋白内化和胞内循环的过程。结论:发展了量子点标记活细胞内GLUT4的方法,为进一步研究活细胞内GLUT4的转运过程打下了基础。     

Water-soluble quantum dots for biomedical applications

Semiconductor nanocrystals are 1-10nm inorganic particles with unique size-dependent optical and electrical properties due to quantum confinement (so they are also called quantum dots). Quantum dots are new types of fluorescent materials for biological labeling with high quantum efficiency, long-term photostability, narrow emission, and continuous absorption spectra. Here, we discuss the recent development in making water-soluble quantum dots and related cytotoxicity for biomedical applications.     

量子点的制备及其在生物医学中的研究

量子点是近几年发展起来的新型纳米材料,虽然研究起步较晚,但因其独特的电学和光学性质而成为人们关注的热点,在生物医学等多个领域有突破性的研究进展。本文主要介绍量子点的性质、制备方法及其在生物医学中的应用进展和存在的问题。     

Recent advances in synthesis and surface modification of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Lanthanide (Ln)-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with appropriate surface modification can be used for a wide range of biomedical applications such as bio-detection, cancer therapy, bio-labeling, fluorescence imaging, magnetic resonance imaging and drug delivery. The upconversion phenomenon exhibited by Ln-doped UCNPs renders them tremendous advantages in biological applications over other types of fluorescent materials (e.g., organic dyes, fluorescent proteins, gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, and luminescent transition metal complexes) for: (i) enhanced tissue penetration depths achieved by near-infrared (NIR) excitation; (ii) improved stability against photobleaching, photoblinking and photochemical degradation; (iii) non-photodamaging to DNA/RNA due to lower excitation light energy; (iv) lower cytotoxicity; and (v) higher detection sensitivity. Ln-doped UCNPs are therefore attracting increasing attentions in recent years. In this review, we present recent advances in the synthesis of Ln-doped UCNPs and their surface modification, as well as their emerging applications in biomedicine. The future prospects of Ln-doped UCNPs for biomedical applications are also discussed.     

Tracking bio‐molecules in live cells using quantum dots

Single particle tracking (SPT) techniques were developed to explore bio‐molecules dynamics in live cells at single molecule sensitivity and nanometer spatial resolution. Recent developments in quantum dots (Qdots) surface coating and bio‐conjugation schemes have made them most suitable probes for live cell applications. Here we review recent advancements in using quantum dots as SPT probes for live cell experiments. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Carbon dots‐involved chemiluminescence: Recent advances and developments

In recent years, more and more nanomaterials‐based chemiluminescence (CL) systems have appeared to improve the sensitivity and expand the scope of the analytical applications with the explosive growth and development of nanomaterials and technology. As a fascinating class of luminescent carbon nanomaterials, carbon dots (CDs) are now substantially studied in fabricating CL based assays due to their unique optical and mechanical properties. Herein, we summarize and highlight the current developments of CDs‐involved weak or ultraweak CL systems, as well as the corresponding mechanisms and proper applications in some fields. CDs can take part in the CL reactions as oxidants, emitting species directly involved in redox oxidation, energy acceptors of CL energy transfer, or even catalysts involving other luminophores. In fact, they always have more than one role in many cases, owing to the formation of various excited species with short life in CL systems. Therefore, in this review article, the most recent progress of the different CDs‐assisted CL systems including the mechanisms and applications are presented. Finally, the conclusions and future prospects of this field are also discussed. The significant features of the CDs‐based CL systems may open up new prospects and challenges in a wider range of fields.     

Bioconjugation of luminescent silicon quantum dots for selective uptake by cancer cells

Conventional quantum dots have great potential in cancer-related imaging and diagnostic applications; however, these applications are limited by concerns about the inherent toxicity of their core materials (e.g., cadmium, lead). Virtually all imaging applications require conjugation of the imaging agent to a biologically active molecule to achieve selective uptake or binding. Here, we report a study of biocompatible silicon quantum dots covalently attached to biomolecules including lysine, folate, antimesothelin, and transferrin. The particles possess desirable physical properties, surface chemistry, and optical properties. Folate- and antimesothelin-conjugated silicon quantum dots show selective uptake into Panc-1 cells. This study contributes to the preclinical evaluation of silicon quantum dots and further demonstrates their potential as an imaging agent for cancer applications.     

Quantum dots in nanobiotechnology

Research on semiconductor nanocristals (also known as quantum dots of QD) in the field of nanobiotechnology is rapidly evolving thanks to progresses in their synthesis and their surface chemistry. Two types of materials, water soluble and biocompatible single QD and beads containing QDs, are becoming available and exciting applications based on these new materials are developed. We will present the recent progress in the synthesis of these materials and their applications. We will discuss the problems that remain to be solved and the perspectives.     

Cytotoxicity and cell death induced by engineered nanostructures (quantum dots and nanoparticles) in human cell lines

JBIC Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry - In recent years, the industrial use of ZnO quantum dots (QDs) and nanoparticles (NPs) has risen and there is a high chance of these nanoparticles...     

Quantum dots‐based chemiluminescence probes: an overview

This mini‐review describes the recent developments in quantum dots‐based nanoprobes in liquid‐phase chemiluminescence (CL) analysis. In the referenced reports, multiple quantum dots (QDs) were adopted as final emission species either after direct oxidation reactions (direct CL) or after chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (indirect CL). This review does not include papers in which QDs have been used as enhancers, catalysts, carriers or quenchers in chemiluminescence systems. A brief overview on the CL mechanisms of various QDs‐based nanoprobes and their analytical applications over the last decade is given, followed by comments on the future challenges and prospects in this field.