Highly efficient gene silencing and bioimaging based on fluorescent carbon dots in vitro and in vivo

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• 作者：Seongchan Kim ; Yuri Choi ; Ginam Park ; Cheolhee Won ; Young-Joon Park…
• 关键词：bioimaging ; carbon dot ; gene delivery ; RNA interference ; targeted cancer therapy
• 刊名：Nano Research
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：10
• 期：2
• 页码：503-519
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Chemistry and Materials Science
• 刊物主题：Nanotechnology; Materials Science, general; Atomic/Molecular Structure and Spectra; Condensed Matter Physics; Biotechnology; Biomedicine, general;
• 出版者：Tsinghua University Press
• ISSN：1998-0000
• 卷排序：10

文摘

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is an attractive therapeutic candidate for sequence-specific gene silencing to treat incurable diseases using small molecule drugs. However, its efficient intracellular delivery has remained a challenge. Here, we have developed a highly biocompatible fluorescent carbon dot (CD), and demonstrate a functional siRNA delivery system that induces efficient gene knockdown in vitro and in vivo. We found that CD nanoparticles (NPs) enhance the cellular uptake of siRNA, via endocytosis in tumor cells, with low cytotoxicity and unexpected immune responses. Real-time study of fluorescence imaging in live cells shows that CD NPs favorably localize in cytoplasm and successfully release siRNA within 12 h. Moreover, we demonstrate that CD NP-mediated siRNA delivery significantly silences green fluorescence protein (GFP) expression and inhibits tumor growth in a breast cancer cell xenograft mouse model of tumor-specific therapy. We have developed a multifunctional siRNA delivery vehicle enabling simultaneous bioimaging and efficient downregulation of gene expression, that shows excellent potential for gene therapy.