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Updated: Mar 30, 2026

In Vivo Targeting of Xenografted Human Cancer Cells with Functionalized Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles in Zebrafish
Published on: May 8, 2020
Facile Synthesis of Biocompatible Fluorescent Nanoparticles for Cellular Imaging and Targeted Detection of Cancer
Fu Tang1, Chun Wang1, Xiaoyu Wang1
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing , Beijing 100083, P. R. China.
Abstract:
In this work, we report the facile synthesis of functional core-shell structured nanoparticles with fluorescence enhancement, which show specific targeting of cancer cells. Biopolymer poly-l-lysine was used to coat the silver core with various shell thicknesses. Then, the nanoparticles were functionalized with folic acid as a targeting agent for folic acid receptor. The metal-enhanced fluorescence effect was observed when the fluorophore (5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein-succinimidyl ester) was conjugated to the modified nanoparticle surface. Cellular imaging assay of the nanoparticles in folic acid receptor-positive cancer cells showed their excellent biocompatibility and selectivity. The as-prepared functional nanoparticles demonstrate the efficiency of the metal-enhanced fluorescence effect and provide an alternative approach for the cellular imaging and targeting of cancer cells.

