Issue 19, 2019

Single-excitation, dual-emission biomass quantum dots: preparation and application for ratiometric fluorescence imaging of coenzyme A in living cells

Abstract

Ratiometric fluorescence imaging can decrease or even eliminate the influences of the microenvironment, localized probe distribution, and instrumental parameters, thereby permitting more accurate monitoring of intracellular molecular events. Therefore, developing ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobes is highly important. In this study, we proposed a distinctive approach by combining solvent extraction with a solvothermal method to synthesize novel biomass-derived carbon-based quantum dots (termed as biomass quantum dots, BQDs) with single-excitation and dual-emission properties, using chlorophyll extracted from pakchoi and polyoxyethylene bisamine as raw materials. The obtained BQDs emit blue and red emissions centered at 488 nm and 678 nm respectively under single 413 nm excitation. Low cytotoxicity and unique optical features make the obtained BQDs potentially useful in bio-application as ratiometric fluorescent probes. Taking advantage of these merits, we employ the obtained BQDs for the near-infrared ratiometric fluorescence detection of coenzyme A (CoA) by the assistance of copper ions. This ratiometric approach shows a good sensitivity and selectivity, and the ratiometric fluorescence imaging of CoA in living cells is also achieved.

Graphical abstract: Single-excitation, dual-emission biomass quantum dots: preparation and application for ratiometric fluorescence imaging of coenzyme A in living cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
28 Feb 2019
Accepted
12 Apr 2019
First published
15 Apr 2019

Nanoscale, 2019,11, 9270-9275

Single-excitation, dual-emission biomass quantum dots: preparation and application for ratiometric fluorescence imaging of coenzyme A in living cells

Y. Cui, R. Liu, F. Ye and S. Zhao, Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 9270 DOI: 10.1039/C9NR01809C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements