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Fluorescent Nanoparticles for the Measurement of Ion Concentration in Biological Systems
Published on: July 4, 2011
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A fluorescent double-network-structured hybrid nanogel as embeddable nanoglucometer for intracellular glucometry
Jiao Fan1, Xiaomei Jiang, Yumei Hu
1State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, The Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, and Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China. wuwtxmu@xmu.edu.cn.
Biomaterials Science
|June 3, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed a novel fluorescent hybrid nanogel glucometer (FNG) for precise intracellular glucose monitoring. This nanogel enables real-time tracking of glucose fluctuations within cells, advancing physiological studies.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Cellular Physiology
Background:
- Accurate quantification of intracellular glucose is crucial for understanding cellular metabolism and disease.
- Existing methods for measuring intracellular glucose are often limited in sensitivity, reversibility, or applicability within living cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an embeddable, remotely interrogatable nanomaterial for dynamic intracellular glucose quantification.
- To create a fluorescent hybrid nanogel glucometer (FNG) capable of real-time monitoring of intracellular glucose levels.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a double-network-structured FNG (<200 nm) using ZnO quantum dots and specific polymer networks (polyacrylamide, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-2-acrylamidomethyl-5-fluorophenylboronic acid)).
- Demonstration of FNG's ability to enter B16F10 cells.
- Utilizing the FNG's fluorescence signal transduction for intracellular glucometry.
Main Results:
- The FNG exhibits high reversibility, sensitivity, selectivity, and fast response to varying glucose levels.
- Successful intracellular application of FNG in B16F10 cells for fluorescent glucometry.
- Monitoring of intracellular glucose variations during a model biological reaction with high resolution without significantly altering the reaction mechanism.
Conclusions:
- The developed FNG is a promising tool for real-time, non-invasive intracellular glucose monitoring.
- This technology can significantly contribute to a deeper understanding of cellular physiology and metabolic processes.
- The FNG's ability to monitor glucose dynamics in situ opens new avenues for studying cellular responses and disease mechanisms.
