Luminescent Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

In this work, we pursue a concept of the multimodal drug preparation based on LuAG:Ce3+ nanoparticles. The functionality studied in this article is focused on the bioimaging of living cells via cathodoluminescence (CL) of scintillating nanoparticles attached to the cell surface. LuAG:Ce3+ scintillating nanoparticles were used as a core; amorphous or mesoporous SiO2 was used as a shell encapsulating the core to increase the surface reactivity; anti-Fas ligand (FasL) antibody was then attached to the outer shell in order to specifically bond the nanocomposite to the cell receptors; finally, polyethylene glycol molecules were attached to increase the biocompatibility of the nanocomposites. CL bioimaging was tested on yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and leukocytes. It was found that the nanocomposites are able to attach to the cells via sorption or bonding to the receptors. The prepared nanocomposite shows stable luminescence under 10-keV electron irradiation, thus making a prospective candidate for this application and future multimodal drug design.