Amino acid-catalyzed seed regrowth synthesis of photostable high fluorescent silica nanoparticles with tunable sizes for intracellular studies

Abstract

Size-controlled fluorescence silica nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used for nanotoxicological studies, and diagnostic and targeted therapies. Such particles can be easily visualized and localized within cell environments and their interactions with cellular components can be monitored. We developed an amino acid-catalyzed seed regrowth technique (ACSRT) to synthesize spherical rhodamine-doped silica NPs with tunable sizes, low polydispersity index as well as high labeling efficiency and enhanced fluorescence photostability. Via ACSRT, fluorescent silica NPs can be obtained by introducing the fluorophore in seed formation step, while a precise control over particle size can be achieved by simply adjusting the concentration of reactants in the regrowth step. Unlike the conventional methods, the proposed ACSRT permits the synthesis of fluorescent silica NPs in a water-based system, without the use of any surfactants and co-surfactants. By this approach, additional linkers for covalent coupling of the fluorophore to silica matrix can be omitted, while a remarkable doping efficiency is achieved. The suitability of these particles for biomedical application is demonstrated by in vitro tests with normal and malignant bone cells. We show that the particles can be easily and unambiguously visualized by a conventional fluorescence microscope, localized, and distinguished within intracellular components. In addition, it is presented that the cellular uptake and cytotoxic profile of silica NPs are strongly correlated to the particle size, concentration, and cell line. The results of in vitro experiments demonstrate that tunable fluorescent silica NPs synthesized with ACSRT can be potentially used for toxicological assessments and nanomedical studies.