Luminescent nanomaterials for molecular-specific cellular imaging

Imaging of molecular trafficking in cells and biological tissue aided by molecular-specific fluorescent labeling is very attractive, since it affords capturing the key processes in comprehensive biological context. Several shortcomings of the existing organic dye labeling technology, however, call for development of alternative molecular reporters, with improved photostability, reduced cytotoxicity, and an increased number of controllable surface moieties. Such alternative molecular reporters are represented by inorganic luminescent nanoparticles (NP) whose optical, physical, and chemical properties are discussed on the examples of luminescent nanodiamonds (LND) and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP). The emission origins of these nanomaterials differ markedly. LND emission results from individual nitrogen-vacancy color-centers in a biocompatible nanodiamond host whose properties can be controlled via size and surface groups. Photophysics of UCNP is governed by the collective, nonlinear excitation transfer processes, resulting in conversion of longer-wavelength excitation to the shorter-wavelength emission. The emission/excitation spectral properties of UCNP falling within the biological tissue transparency window open new opportunities of almost complete suppression of the cell/tissue autofluorescence background. The developed surface of these nanoparticles represents a flexible platform populated with biocompatible surface moieties onto which cargo and targeting biomolecules can be firmly docked through a process called bioconjugation. These bioconjugated modules, e.g., nanodiamond-antibody, (quantum dot)-somatostatin, or (upconversion nanoparticle)-(mini-antibody) can gain admission into the cells by initiating the cell-specific, cell-recognized communication protocol. In this chapter, we aim to demonstrate the whole bottom-up bio-nano-optics approach for optical biological imaging capturing luminescent nanoparticle design, surface activation, and bioconjugation and the resultant bioconjugate module deployment in specific internalization in the cell.34 page(s

PLGA Nanoparticles Decorated with Anti-HER2 Affibody for Targeted Delivery and Photoinduced Cell Death

The effect of enhanced permeability and retention is often not sufficient for highly effective cancer therapy with nanoparticles, and the development of active targeted drug delivery systems based on nanoparticles is probably the main direction of modern cancer medicine. To meet the challenge, we developed polymer PLGA nanoparticles loaded with fluorescent photosensitive xanthene dye, Rose Bengal, and decorated with HER2-recognizing artificial scaffold protein, affibody ZHER2:342. The obtained 170 nm PLGA nanoparticles possess both fluorescent and photosensitive properties. Namely, under irradiation with the green light of 540 nm nanoparticles, they produced reactive oxygen species leading to cancer cell death. The chemical conjugation of PLGA with anti-HER2 affibody resulted in the selective binding of nanoparticles only to HER2-overexpressing cancer cells. HER2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase that belongs to the EGFR/ERbB family and is overexpressed in 30% of breast cancers, thus serving as a clinically relevant oncomarker. However, the standard targeting molecules such as full-size antibodies possess serious drawbacks, such as high immunogenicity and the need for mammalian cell production. We believe that the developed affibody-decorated targeted photosensitive PLGA nanoparticles will provide new solutions for ongoing problems in cancer diagnostics and treatment, as well in cancer theranostics