QD:Puf Nanohybrids Are Compatible with Studies in Cells

Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QD), as well as other nanoparticles, are useful in cell studies as fluorescent labels. They may also be used as more active components in various cellular assays, serving as sensors or effectors. However, not all QDs are biocompatible. One of the main problems i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2022-09, Vol.12 (18), p.3174
Main Authors: Wójtowicz, Karolina, Antoniak, Magda A., Trojnar, Martyna, Nyk, Marcin, Trombik, Tomasz, Grzyb, Joanna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biocompatibility
Cadmium selenides
Cell viability
Communication
Cytotoxicity
Decomposition
Endoplasmic reticulum
Fluorescence
Golgi apparatus
HeLa cells
Lasers
Microenvironments
Microscopy
Nanocrystals
nanohybrids
Nanoparticles
Proteins
Puf protein
Quantum dots
Semiconductors
Software
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Summary:Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QD), as well as other nanoparticles, are useful in cell studies as fluorescent labels. They may also be used as more active components in various cellular assays, serving as sensors or effectors. However, not all QDs are biocompatible. One of the main problems is their outer coat, which needs to be stable and to sustain hydrophilicity. Here we show that purpose-designed CdSe QDs, covered with a Puf protein, can be efficiently accumulated by HeLa cells. The uptake was measurable after a few hours of incubation with nanoparticles and most of the fluorescence was localised in the internal membrane system of the cell, including the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus. The fluorescence properties of QDs were mostly preserved, although the maximum emission wavelength was slightly shifted, and the fluorescence lifetime was shortened, indicating partial sensitivity of the QDs to the cell microenvironment. QD accumulation resulted in a decrease in cell viability, which was attributed to disturbance of endoplasmic reticulum performance.
ISSN:2079-4991
2079-4991
DOI:10.3390/nano12183174