Issue 22, 2019

Dual-ligand functionalized carbon nanodots as green fluorescent nanosensors for cellular dual receptor-mediated targeted imaging

Abstract

The conjugation of ligands to nanoparticles as drug delivery systems that target specific cells is a promising approach for the delivery of therapeutic agents to tumor cells. Herein, we prepared green-emission fluorescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) by a facile hydrothermal method with D-(+)-glucosamine hydrochloride and L-aspartic acid as the precursors, then covalently conjugated with folate (FA), polyethyleneimine (PEI) and hyaluronic acid (HA) to develop dual ligand-decorated nanocarriers (FA-PEI-HA-CNDs) for the targeted imaging of cancer cells. FA-PEI-HA-CNDs integrated the excellent fluorescence property of CNDs, and can be used for the real-time and noninvasive location tracking of cancer cells. The cellular uptake study demonstrated that FA-PEI-HA-CNDs markedly improved the internalization efficiency in A-549 cells via folate/CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis in comparison with that of the A549 cells pretreated with excess FA, HA, and FA and HA. Therefore, these dual folate/CD44 receptor-targeted CNDs (FA-PEI-HA-CNDs) show promising potential for cancer detection, drug delivery, and individualized treatment as performance platforms.

Graphical abstract: Dual-ligand functionalized carbon nanodots as green fluorescent nanosensors for cellular dual receptor-mediated targeted imaging

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 Aug 2019
Accepted
25 Sep 2019
First published
28 Sep 2019

Analyst, 2019,144, 6729-6735

Dual-ligand functionalized carbon nanodots as green fluorescent nanosensors for cellular dual receptor-mediated targeted imaging

F. Du, X. Zhao, W. Lu, Z. Guo, S. Shuang and C. Dong, Analyst, 2019, 144, 6729 DOI: 10.1039/C9AN01530B

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