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Updated: Aug 13, 2025
Harmonic Nanoparticles for Regenerative Research
Published on: May 1, 2014
Upconverting Nanoparticles as a New Bio-Imaging Strategy-Investigating Intracellular Trafficking of Endogenous
Karolina Zajdel1,2, Justyna Janowska1, Małgorzata Frontczak-Baniewicz1
1Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 5 Pawinskiego Str., 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract:
In recent years, rare-earth-doped upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been widely used in different life sciences due to their unique properties. Nanoparticles have become a multifunctional and promising new approach to neurobiological disorders and have shown extraordinary application potential to overcome the problems related to conventional treatment strategies. This study evaluated the internalization mechanisms, bio-distribution, and neurotoxicity of NaYF4:20%Yb3+,2%Er3+ UCNPs in rat organotypic hippocampal slices. TEM results showed that UCNPs were easily internalized by hippocampal cells and co-localized with selected organelles inside neurons and astrocytes. Moreover, the UCNPs were taken into the neurons via clathrin- and caveolae-mediated endocytosis. Propidium iodide staining and TEM analysis did not confirm the adverse effects of UCNPs on hippocampal slice viability and morphology. Therefore, UCNPs may be a potent tool for bio-imaging and testing new therapeutic strategies for brain diseases in the future.
