In situ Synthesis of Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters by Nontumorigenic Microglial Cells

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• 作者：Abby L. West ; Nicole M. Schaeublin ; Mark H. Griep ; Elizabeth I. Maurer-Gardner ; Daniel P. Cole ; Alexis M. Fakner ; Saber M. Hussain ; Shashi P. Karna
• 刊名：ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：August 24, 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：8
• 期：33
• 页码：21221-21227
• 全文大小：435K
• 年卷期：0
• ISSN：1944-8252

文摘

To date, the directed in situ synthesis of fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) has only been demonstrated in cancerous cells, with the theorized synthesis mechanism prohibiting AuNC formation in nontumorigenic cell lines. This limitation hinders potential biostabilized AuNC-based technology in healthy cells involving both chemical and mechanical analysis, such as the direct sensing of protein function and the elucidation of local mechanical environments. Thus, new synthesis strategies are required to expand the application space of AuNCs beyond cancer-focused cellular studies. In this contribution, we have developed the methodology and demonstrated the direct in situ synthesis of AuNCs in the nontumorigenic neuronal microglial line, C8B4. The as-synthesized AuNCs form in situ and are stabilized by cellular proteins. The clusters exhibit bright green fluorescence and demonstrate low (<10%) toxicity. Interestingly, elevated ROS levels were not required for the in situ formation of AuNCs, although intracellular reductants such as glutamate were required for the synthesis of AuNCs in C8B4 cells. To our knowledge, this is the first-ever demonstration of AuNC synthesis in nontumorigenic cells and, as such, it considerably expands the application space of biostabilized fluorescent AuNCs.