1 research outputs found
Control of Carbon Nanotube Solvatochromic Response to Chemotherapeutic Agents
Alkylating
agents such as cisplatin play an essential role in chemotherapy regimens,
but initial and acquired resistance in many cancer types often dampen
therapeutic response. The poor understanding of the mechanisms of
resistance highlight the need for quantitative measurements of alkylating
agent distribution at both the tissue and subcellular levels. Sensors
for use in live animals and cells would allow for more effective study
of drug action and resistance. Toward this end, single-walled carbon
nanotubes suspended with single-stranded DNA have suitable optical
properties for in vivo sensors, such as near-infrared emission and
sensitivity to the local environment via solvatochromic responses.
Currently, solvatochromic changes of such sensors have been limited
by the chemical nature of the analyte, making it impossible to control
the direction of energy emission changes. Here, we describe a new
approach to control the direction and magnitude of solvatochromic
responses of carbon nanotubes. We found that the alkylation of DNA
on the nanotube surface can result in small changes in DNA conformation
that allow the adsorption of amphiphiles to produce large differences
(>14 nm) in response to different drugs. The technique surprisingly
revealed differences among drugs upon alkylation. The ability to control
carbon nanotube solvatochromism as desired may potentially expand
the application of nanotube-based optical sensors for new classes
of analytes