Linseed oil based nanocapsules as delivery system for hydrophobic quantum dots

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biocompatible Materials

Background:

• Quantum dots (QDs) offer unique optical properties but require stable encapsulation for applications.
• Polyelectrolyte nanocapsules provide a versatile platform for encapsulating various materials.
• Biocompatible materials are crucial for biomedical and nanomedical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To embed hydrophobic cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide (CdSe/ZnS) quantum dots within polyelectrolyte nanocapsules.
• To utilize a layer-by-layer (LbL) adsorption technique for nanocapsule shell formation.
• To assess the biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of the developed nanocapsules.

Main Methods:

• Spontaneous emulsification technique to create oil-in-chloroform cores stabilized by lecithin.
• Layer-by-layer (LbL) adsorption using poly-l-lysine hydrobromide (PLL) and poly-d-glutamic acid sodium salt for shell formation.
• Atomic force microscopy (AFM) for surface topology, fluorescent spectroscopy for QD presence, and MTT assay for cytotoxicity evaluation.

Main Results:

• Successful encapsulation of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots within polyelectrolyte nanocapsules.
• LbL method demonstrated effective shell formation and growth, confirmed by size and mobility measurements.
• AFM confirmed the topology of emulsions and capsules; fluorescence confirmed QD presence.
• MTT assay and cell morphology observations indicated low cytotoxicity of the nanocapsules.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully developed biocompatible polyelectrolyte nanocapsules containing CdSe/ZnS quantum dots.
• The developed nanocapsules are stable and possess desirable properties for potential applications.
• Initial cytotoxicity assessments suggest the nanocapsules are well-tolerated by mouse embryonic fibroblasts.