Issue 25, 2020

pH-Responsive Au(i)-disulfide nanoparticles with tunable aggregation-induced emission for monitoring intragastric acidity

Abstract

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-featuring Au(I) complexes are superior probes for physiological environment monitoring in living organisms owing to their excellent biocompatibility and efficient luminescent properties. However, the intrinsic obstacle of poor water stability and lack of response to biological stimuli greatly restrict their practical application in biological systems. Herein, water-stable and pH-responsive Au(I)-disulfide nanoparticles (NPs) with AIE characteristics were designed. The NPs were prepared by integrating a pH-responsive moiety, cysteine (Cys), into Au(I)-thiolate (SR) complexes, and the Au(I)-SR-Cys structure was formed through disulfide bonds. Hydrophilic Cys was located on the outer layer of the NPs, endowing the spherical NPs with high stability and remarkable monodispersity in water. In addition, Cys endowed the NPs with pH-responsive characteristics. These unique advantages enable them to hold great promise as luminescent probes to monitor intragastric acidity in an acid suppression therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first example of luminescent Au(I) materials to monitor physiological changes.

Graphical abstract: pH-Responsive Au(i)-disulfide nanoparticles with tunable aggregation-induced emission for monitoring intragastric acidity

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
31 Mar 2020
Accepted
08 Apr 2020
First published
24 Apr 2020
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2020,11, 6472-6478

pH-Responsive Au(I)-disulfide nanoparticles with tunable aggregation-induced emission for monitoring intragastric acidity

J. Wang, J. Li, Y. Li, Z. Zhang, L. Wang, D. Wang, L. Su, X. Zhang and B. Z. Tang, Chem. Sci., 2020, 11, 6472 DOI: 10.1039/D0SC01843K

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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