Abstract
Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNs) are nanoparticles that are excited in the near infrared(NIR) region with emission in the visible or NIR regions. This makes these particlesattractive for use in biological imaging as the NIR light can penetrate the tissuebetter with minimal absorption/scattering. This paper discusses the study ofthe depth to which cells can be imaged using these nanoparticles. UCNs withNaYF4 nanocrystalsdoped with Yb3 + , Er3 + (visible emission)/Yb3 + ,Tm3 + (NIR emission) were synthesized and modified with silica enabling their dispersion in waterand conjugation of biomolecules to their surface. The size of the sample was characterizedusing transmission electron microscopy and the fluorescence measured using a fluorescencespectrometer at an excitation of 980 nm. Tissue phantoms were prepared by reportedmethods to mimic skin/muscle tissue and it was observed that the cells could be imaged upto a depth of 3 mm using the NIR emitting UCNs. Further, the depth of detectionwas evaluated for UCNs targeted to gap junctions formed between cardiac cells.
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