Eu/Tb codoped spindle-shaped fluorinated hydroxyapatite nanoparticles for dual-color cell imaging

• Published in: Nanoscale 2016-06, Vol.8 (22), p.1158-11587
• Main Authors: Ma, Baojin, Zhang, Shan, Qiu, Jichuan, Li, Jianhua, Sang, Yuanhua, Xia, Haibing, Jiang, Huaidong, Claverie, Jerome, Liu, Hong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3T3 Cells; Animals; Color; Cytoplasm; Durapatite - chemistry; Emission; Europium - chemistry; Excitation; Fluorination; Hydroxyapatite; Imaging; Lasers; Light; Mice; Nanoparticles; Optical Imaging
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/c6nr02137a

Lanthanide doped fluorinated hydroxyapatite (FAp) nanoparticles are promising cell imaging nanomaterials but they are excited at wavelengths which do not match the light sources usually found in a commercial confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). In this work, we have successfully prepared spindle-shaped Eu/Tb codoped FAp nanoparticles by a hydrothermal method. Compared with single Eu doped FAp, Eu/Tb codoped FAp can be excited by a 488 nm laser, and exhibit both green and red light emission. By changing the amounts of Eu and Tb peaks, the emission in the green region (500-580 nm) can be decreased to the benefit of the emission in the red region (580-720 nm), thus reaching a balanced dual color emission. Using MC3T3-E1 cells co-cultured with Eu/Tb codoped FAp nanoparticles, it is observed that the nanoparticles are cytocompatible even at a concentration as high as 800 μg ml −1 . The Eu/Tb codoped FAp nanoparticles are located in the cytoplasm and can be monitored by dual color-green and red imaging with a single excitation light at 488 nm. At a concentration of 200 μg ml −1 , the cytoplasm is saturated in 8 hours, and Eu/Tb codoped FAp nanoparticles retain their fluorescence for at least 3 days. The cytocompatible Eu/Tb codoped FAp nanoparticles with unique dual color emission will be of great use for cell and tissue imaging. Eu/Tb codoped FAp nanoparticles were prepared, and exhibit both green and red light emission. Receiving different wavelength range, nanoparticles can locate cells by dual color-green and red under a single excitation light at 488 nm.