Langping Tu

Covalently assembled NIR nanoplatform for simultaneous fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy of cancer cells.

A highly efficient multifunctional nanoplatform for simultaneous upconversion luminescence (UCL) imaging and photodynamic therapy has been developed on the basis of selective energy transfer from multicolor luminescent NaYF(4):Yb(3+),Er(3+) upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to photosensitizers (PS). Different from popular approaches based on electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions, over 100 photosensitizing molecules were covalently bonded to every 20 nm UCNP, which significantly strengthened the UCNP-PS linkage and reduced the probability of leakage/desorption of the PS. Over 80% UCL was transferred to PS, and the singlet oxygen production was readily detected by its feature emission at 1270 nm. Tests performed on JAR choriocarcinoma and NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells verified the efficient endocytosis and photodynamic effect of the nanoplatform with 980 nm irradiation specific to JAR cancer cells. Our work highlights the promise of using UCNPs for potential image-guided cancer photodynamic therapy.

An upconversion nanoparticle - Zinc phthalocyanine based nanophotosensitizer for photodynamic therapy

Recent advances in NIR triggering upconversion-based photodynamic therapy have led to substantial improvements in upconversion-based nanophotosensitizers. How to obtain the high efficiency of singlet oxygen generation under low 980 nm radiation dosage still remains a challenge. A highly efficient nanophotosensitizer, denoted as UCNPs-ZnPc, was constructed for photodynamic therapy, which is based on near infrared (NIR) light upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) and Zn(II)-phthalocyanine (ZnPc) photosensitizer (PS). The high (1)O2 production efficiency came from the enhancement of the 660 nm upconversion emission of NaYF4:Yb(3+), Er(3+) UCNP with 25% Yb(3+) doping, covalent assemblage of UCNP and ZnPc which significantly shortened the distance and enhanced the energy transfer between the two. The high (1)O2 production led to a secure and efficient PDT treatment, as evidenced by the in vivo test where UCNPs-ZnPc of 50 mg per kg body weight was locally injected into the liver tumor in mice, a low 980 nm radiation dose of 351 J/cm(2) (0.39 W/cm(2)) and short irradiation duration of 15 min were sufficient to perform image-guided PDT and caused the liver tumor inhibitory ratio of approximately 80.1%. Histological analysis revealed no pathological changes and inflammatory response in heart, lung, kidney, liver or spleen.

Excitation energy migration dynamics in upconversion nanomaterials

Recent efforts and progress in unraveling the fundamental mechanism of excitation energy migration dynamics in upconversion nanomaterials are covered in this review, including short- and long-term interactions and other interactions in homogeneous and heterogeneous nanostructures. Comprehension of the role of spatial confinement in excitation energy migration processes is updated. Problems and challenges are also addressed.

Breakthrough in concentration quenching threshold of upconversion luminescence via spatial separation of the emitter doping area for bio-applications

The concentration quenching threshold of upconversion luminescence was broken through for the first time via a designed strategy: spatial separation of the emitter doping area.

Multiple homogeneous immunoassays based on a quantum dots-gold nanorods FRET nanoplatform

Multi-sized quantum dots (QDs) donors and tailor-made gold nanorods (GNRs) are employed to form a FRET nanoplatform for homogeneous immunoassays developed for analysis of multiple virus antigens. The single GNRs/multiple QDs nanocomposite based nanosensor offers a simple and sensitive approach for multiple analytes detection in a homogeneous format.

In vivo 808 nm image-guided photodynamic therapy based on an upconversion theranostic nanoplatform.

A new strategy for efficient in vivo image-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been demonstrated utilizing a ligand-exchange constructed upconversion-C60 nanophotosensitizer. This theranostic platform is superior to the currently reported nanophotosensitizers in (i) directly bonding photosensitizer C60 to the surface of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) by a smart ligand-exchange strategy, which greatly shortened the energy transfer distance and enhanced the (1)O2 production, resulting in the improvement of the therapeutic effect; (ii) realizing in vivo NIR 808 nm image-guided PDT with both excitation (980 nm) and emission (808 nm) light falling in the biological window of tissues, which minimized auto-fluorescence, reduced light scatting and improved the imaging contrast and depth, and thus guaranteed noninvasive diagnostic accuracy. In vivo and ex vivo tests demonstrated its favorable bio-distribution, tumor-selectivity and high therapeutic efficacy. Owing to the effective ligand exchange strategy and the excellent intrinsic photophysical properties of C60, (1)O2 production yield was improved, suggesting that a low 980 nm irradiation dosage (351 J cm(-2)) and a short treatment time (15 min) were sufficient to perform NIR (980 nm) to NIR (808 nm) image-guided PDT. Our work enriches the understanding of UCNP-based PDT nanophotosensitizers and highlights their potential use in future NIR image-guided noninvasive deep cancer therapy.

Multi-targeting single fiber-optic biosensor based on evanescent wave and quantum dots

Highly sensitive, multi-analyte assay is a long-standing challenge for a single fiber-optic evanescent wave biosensor (FOB). In this paper, we report the first realization of such kind of FOB using CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) as labels. A direct binding assay model between antibody and antigen was employed to demonstrate the advantages of using QDs, instead of conventional fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), in lifting the sensitivity. Especially, multiplexed immunoassay was demonstrated in a single fiber FOB constructed with four differently sized QDs. Furthermore, the phenomenon that the affinity of the QD-labeled human IgG (QD-IgG) with goat anti-human IgG (anti-IgG) was lower than that of the FITC-labeled human IgG (FITC-IgG) was investigated and was ascribed to the differences in size and mass of the two. Our study indicates that the affinity could be improved by controlling the amount of IgG binding on QDs.

Au/SiO2 core/shell nanoparticles enhancing fluorescence resonance energy transfer efficiency in solution

Tailor-designed Au/SiO(2) core/shell nanoparticles are employed to enhance the efficiency of fluorescence resonance energy transfer based on quantum dots and R-phycoerythrin in solution.

Facile synthesis of NaYF4:Yb, Ln/NaYF4:Yb core/shell upconversion nanoparticles via successive ion layer adsorption and one-pot reaction technique

The facile one-pot synthesis of NaYF4:Yb, Ln/NaYF4:Yb core/shell (CS) upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) was firstly developed through the successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique, which represents an attractive alternative to conventional synthesis utilizing the chloride of Ln as the precursors, where the Ln doped NaYF4 core was firstly purified and then an epitaxial shell of the desired thickness was obtained by the injection of shell precursors to a solution of the purified NaYF4 core. The temperature-dependent shell growth mechanism and upconversion luminescent properties were explored thoroughly. A temperature of 280 degrees C proved to be the optimal shell growth temperature to prepare the compact CS structure with the highest luminescent enhanced efficiency for this preparative system. The shell thickness could be easily tuned using this SILAR technique from about 3 monolayers (ML) to 44 ML. The UC luminescent intensity was found to be increased with increasing shell thickness, and at last the effect of surface on the PL could be completely excluded by an appropriate shell thickness. Furthermore, the performance of the SILAR technique was also demonstrated by comparing Tm3+ and Er3+ doped separately in the core and shell with the Ln ions co-doped in the core.

A versatile synthesis route for metal@SiO2 core–shell nanoparticles using 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid as primer

Applying the Stober method to directly coat noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) such as gold (Au) and silver (Ag) NPs with silica shells presents challenges, since the noble metal NPs are not stable in alcoholic solution and have low chemical affinity for silica. This paper describes a method which uses 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) as a linker molecule between the silica shell and the noble metal NPs. MUA binds strongly to the surface of the NPs via a metal–S bond by replacing the standard capping agents on the surface of the NPs. Upon MUA stabilization, the NPs can be transferred into alcohol solution and show chemical affinity for silica. The MUA-modified NPs can be directly coated with thickness controlled, smooth and homogeneous silica shells via the standard Stober method by varying the amount of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). Compared with methods reported in the literature for the coating of such particles, this method can not only be used to successfully coat citrated-stabilized Au or Ag NPs, but can also be extended to encapsulate oleylamine (OA)-stabilized Au NPs and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-stabilized Au nanorods (NRs) by using MUA to displace the original ligand on the surface of the NPs. Additionally, the obtained metal@SiO2 core–shell NPs have been successfully applied as plasmonic nanoantennas for fluorescence enhancement in metal@SiO2@fluorophore NPs.