Abstract
The combination of different nanomaterials has been investigated during the past few decades and represents an exciting challenge for the unexpected emerging properties of the resulting nano-hybrids. Spermidine (Spd), a biogenic polyamine, has emerged as a useful functional monomer for the development of carbon quantum dots (CQDs). Herein, an electrostatically stabilized ternary hybrid, constituted of iron oxide-DNA (the core) and spermidine carbon quantum dots (CQDSpds, the shell), was self-assembled and fully characterized. The as-obtained nano-hybrid was tested on HeLa cells to evaluate its biocompatibility as well as cellular uptake. Most importantly, besides being endowed by the magnetic features of the core, it displayed drastically enhanced fluorescence properties in comparison with parent CQDSpds and it is efficiently internalized by HeLa cells. This novel ternary nano-hybrid with multifaceted properties, ranging from fluorescence to superparamagnetism, represents an interesting option for cell tracking.
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Abbreviations
- CQD:
-
Carbon quantum dot
- EDX:
-
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
- FT-IR:
-
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
- MTT:
-
3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide
- PBS:
-
Phosphate-buffered saline
- SAMN:
-
Surface active maghemite nanoparticles
- Spd:
-
Spermidine
- ss-DNA:
-
Salmon sperm deoxyribonucleic acid
- TEM:
-
Transmission electron microscopy
- TMAOH:
-
Tetramethylammonium hydroxide
- WGA:
-
Wheat-germ agglutinin
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Acknowledgements
The present experimental work was partially funded by Italian Institutional Ministry Grants Cod. DOR1872491. The team members from the Czech Republic were supported by Grant No. LO1204 from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The authors thank Dr. Jana Stráská for TEM measurements. The authors also thank ‘La Sapienza’ University of Rome and Italian MIUR (Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca). Our gratitude is also due to the “International Polyamine Foundation–ONLUS” for the availability to look up in the Polyamines documentation.
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Venerando, A., Magro, M., Baratella, D. et al. Biotechnological applications of nanostructured hybrids of polyamine carbon quantum dots and iron oxide nanoparticles. Amino Acids 52, 301–311 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-019-02721-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-019-02721-6