A Quantum Dot-Based FLIM Glucose Nanosensor
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Ripoll Lorente, María Consuelo; Orte Gutiérrez, Ángel; Paniza, Lorena; Ruedas Rama, María JoséEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Quantum dots Fluorescence lifetime imaging Intracellular sensing Nanoparticles Photoluminescence Glucose
Date
2019-11-16Referencia bibliográfica
Ripoll, C., Orte, A., Paniza, L., & Ruedas-Rama, M. J. (2019). A Quantum Dot-Based FLIM Glucose Nanosensor. Sensors, 19(22), 4992.
Sponsorship
This research was funded by grants CTQ2014-56370-R and CTQ2017-85658-R from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).Abstract
In the last few years, quantum dot (QD) nanoparticles have been employed for bioimaging
and sensing due to their excellent optical features. Most studies have used photoluminescence
(PL) intensity-based techniques, which have some drawbacks, especially when working with
nanoparticles in intracellular media, such as fluctuations in the excitation power, fluorophore
concentration dependence, or interference from cell autofluorescence. Some of those limitations
can be overcome with the use of time-resolved spectroscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging
microscopy (FLIM) techniques. In this work, CdSe/ZnS QDs with long decay times were modified
with aminophenylboronic acid (APBA) to achieve QD-APBA conjugates, which can act as glucose
nanosensors. The attachment of the boronic acid moiety on the surface of the nanoparticle quenched
the PL average lifetime of the QDs. When glucose bonded to the boronic acid, the PL was recovered
and its lifetime was enhanced. The nanosensors were satisfactorily applied to the detection of glucose
into MDA-MB-231 cells with FLIM. The long PL lifetimes of the QD nanoparticles made them easily
discernible from cell autofluorescence, thereby improving selectivity in their sensing applications.
Since the intracellular levels of glucose are related to the metabolic status of cancer cells, the proposed
nanosensors could potentially be used in cancer diagnosis.