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Synthesis of carbon quantum dots for DNA labeling and its electrochemical, fluorescent and electrophoretic characterization

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Abstract

Nanoparticles as a progressively developing branch offer a tool for studying the interaction of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with DNA. In this study, fluorescent CQDs were synthesized using citric acid covered with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the source of carbon precursors. Furthermore, interactions between CQDs and DNA (double-stranded DNA and single-stranded DNA) were investigated by spectral methods, gel electrophoresis, and electrochemical analysis. Primarily, the fluorescent behavior of CQDs in the presence of DNA was monitored and major differences in the interaction of CQDs with tested single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) were observed at different amounts of CQDs (µg mL−1: 25, 50, 100, 250, 500). It was found that the interaction of ssDNA with CQDs had no significant influence on the CQDs fluorescence intensity measured at the excitation wavelengths of 280 nm, 350 nm, and 400 nm. However, in the presence of dsDNA, the fluorescence intensity of CQDs was significantly increased. Our results provide basic understanding of the interaction between CQDs and DNA. Such fabricated CQDs-DNA might be of great benefit for the emerging nanomaterials based biosensing methods.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, CZ-613 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Vedran Milosavljevic, Hoai Viet Nguyen, Petr Michalek, Pavel Kopel, Rene Kizek & Vojtech Adam

  2. Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3058/10, CZ-616 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Amitava Moulick, Pavel Kopel, Rene Kizek & Vojtech Adam

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  1. Vedran Milosavljevic
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  2. Hoai Viet Nguyen
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  3. Petr Michalek
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  4. Amitava Moulick
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  5. Pavel Kopel
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  6. Rene Kizek
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  7. Vojtech Adam
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Correspondence to Vojtech Adam.

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Milosavljevic, V., Nguyen, H.V., Michalek, P. et al. Synthesis of carbon quantum dots for DNA labeling and its electrochemical, fluorescent and electrophoretic characterization. Chem. Pap. 69, 192–201 (2015). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11696-014-0590-2

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