Preparation of pH-stimuli-responsive PEG-TGA/TGH-capped CdTe QDs and their application in cell labeling.
A pH-sensitive and double functional nanoprobe was designed and synthesized in a water-soluble system using thioglycolic acid (TGA) and mercapto-acetohydrazide (TGH) as the stabilizers. TGA is biocompatible because the carboxyl group is easily linked to biological macromolecules. At the same time, the hydrazide on TGH reacts with the aldehyde on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and forms a hydrazone bond. The hydrazone bond ruptured at specific pH values and exhibited pH-stimuli-responsive characteristics. As an optical imaging probe, the PEG-TGA/TGH-capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) had high quality, with a fluorescence efficiency of 25-30%, and remained stable for at least five months. This pH-responsive factor can be used for the effective release of CdTe QDs under the acidic interstitial extracellular environment of tumor cells. This allows the prepared pH-stimuli-responsive nanoprobes to show fluorescence signals for use in cancer cell imaging.
['Du|Yan|Y|', 'Yang|Dongzhi|D|', 'Sun|Shian|S|', 'Zhao|Ziming|Z|', 'Tang|Daoquan|D|']
D019187:Cadmium Compounds D005456:Fluorescent Dyes D006367:HeLa Cells D056945:Hep G2 Cells D006801:Humans D006835:Hydrazones D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence D015335:Molecular Probes D053761:Nanocomposites D010316:Particle Size D011092:Polyethylene Glycols D045663:Quantum Dots D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared D013691:Tellurium D013864:Thioglycolates D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
pH-stimuli-responsive PEG-TGA/TGH-capped CdTe QDs cell labeling