High Resolution Fluorescence Imaging of Cancers Using Lanthanide Ion-Doped Upconverting Nanocrystals

Cancers

Rafik Naccache³  Emma Martín Rodríguez³  Nicoleta Bogdan³  Francisco Sanz-Rodríguez¹  Maria del Carmen Iglesias de la Cruz²  Ángeles Juarranz de la Fuente¹  Fiorenzo Vetrone⁵  Daniel Jaque⁴  José Garc໚ Solé⁴ 

[1]Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain

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[3]Departamento de Fisiología. Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28029, Spain

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[5]Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montreal H4B 1R6, Canada

[6] E-Mails:

[7]Departamento de Física de Materiales, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain

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[9]Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique-Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Université du Québec, Varennes J3X 1S2, Canada

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关键词: cancer;    fluorescence imaging;    lanthanide-doped nanocrystals;    upconversion;    targeting;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cancers4041067

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

During the last decade inorganic luminescent nanoparticles that emit visible light under near infrared (NIR) excitation (in the biological window) have played a relevant role for high resolution imaging of cancer. Indeed, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and metal nanoparticles, mostly gold nanorods (GNRs), are already commercially available for this purpose. In this work we review the role which is being played by a relatively new class of nanoparticles, based on lanthanide ion doped nanocrystals, to target and image cancer cells using upconversion fluorescence microscopy. These nanoparticles are insulating nanocrystals that are usually doped with small percentages of two different rare earth (lanthanide) ions: The excited donor ions (usually Yb³⁺ ion) that absorb the NIR excitation and the acceptor ions (usually Er³⁺, Ho³⁺ or Tm³⁺), that are responsible for the emitted visible (or also near infrared) radiation. The higher conversion efficiency of these nanoparticles in respect to those based on QDs and GNRs, as well as the almost independent excitation/emission properties from the particle size, make them particularly promising for fluorescence imaging. The different approaches of these novel nanoparticles devoted to “in vitro” and “in vivo” cancer imaging, selective targeting and treatment are examined in this review.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.