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Silicon Nanowires and Optical Stimulation for Investigations of Intra- and Intercellular Electrical Coupling
Published on: January 28, 2021
Cellular binding and internalization of functionalized silicon nanowires.
Weixia Zhang1, Ling Tong, Chen Yang
1Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.
Nano Letters
|January 25, 2012
Summary
Functionalized silicon nanowires (SiNWs) enable real-time tracking of nanomaterial-cell interactions. Folate-modified SiNWs show specific cellular uptake, unlike amine-modified or unmodified SiNWs.
Area of Science:
- Nanomaterials Science
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Nanostructures offer precise control for studying nanomaterial-cell interactions.
- Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) possess intrinsic nonlinear optical signals for tracking.
- Functionalization of SiNWs allows for targeted cellular interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a nanobio system using functionalized SiNWs to visualize and understand nanomaterial-cell interactions in real time.
- To investigate the role of specific ligand-receptor interactions (folate-folate receptor) and nonspecific interactions (charge-charge) in SiNW binding and uptake.
- To determine the influence of SiNW length on cellular binding and internalization.
Main Methods:
- Development of functionalized silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with folate and amine groups.
- Utilizing the intrinsic nonlinear optical signal of SiNWs for real-time monitoring of cellular interactions.
- Conducting control experiments with cells lacking specific receptors (CHO cells) and unmodified SiNWs.
Main Results:
- Folate-functionalized SiNWs exhibited expedited agglomeration and internalization due to specific folate-receptor interactions.
- Amine-functionalized SiNWs showed slower binding via nonspecific charge-charge attraction.
- Unmodified SiNWs did not effectively accumulate on cells.
- SiNW binding was independent of length (2.5–8.0 μm), but uptake decreased for NWs longer than 5 μm.
Conclusions:
- Functionalized SiNWs provide a powerful tool for real-time visualization of nanomaterial-cell interactions.
- Specific ligand-receptor interactions significantly enhance SiNW targeting and internalization.
- SiNW length is a critical factor influencing cellular uptake, with shorter nanowires being more readily internalized.
