1 research outputs found
Sodium Cholate-Templated Blue Light-Emitting Ag Subnanoclusters: <i>In Vivo</i> Toxicity and Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos
We report a novel green chemical
approach for the synthesis of
blue light-emitting and water-soluble Ag subnanoclusters, using sodium
cholate (NaC) as a template at a concentration higher than the critical
micelle concentration (CMC) at room temperature. However, under photochemical
irradiation, small anisotropic and spherically shaped Ag nanoparticles
(3–11 nm) were obtained upon changing the concentration of
NaC from below to above the CMC. The matrix-assisted laser desorption
ionization time-of-flight and electrospray ionization mass spectra
showed that the cluster sample was composed of Ag<sub>4</sub> and
Ag<sub>6</sub>. The optical properties of the clusters were studied
by UV–visible and luminescence spectroscopy. The lifetime of
the synthesized fluorescent Ag nanoclusters (AgNCs) was measured using
a time-correlated single-photon counting technique. High-resolution
transmission electron microscopy was used to assess the size of clusters
and nanoparticles. A protocol for transferring nanoclusters to organic
solvents is also described. Toxicity and bioimaging studies of NaC
templated AgNCs were conducted using developmental stage zebrafish
embryos. From the survival and hatching experiment, no significant
toxic effect was observed at AgNC concentrations of up to 200 μL/mL,
and the NC-stained embryos exhibited blue fluorescence with high intensity
for a long period of time, which shows that AgNCs are more stable
in living system