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Polymer-coated hexagonal upconverting nanoparticles: chemical stability and cytotoxicity
Vitalii Patsula1, Dana Mareková2,3, Pavla Jendelová2,3
1Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia.
Frontiers in Chemistry
|July 10, 2023
Summary
Polymer-coated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) show varying colloidal stability and cellular uptake. PDMA-coated UCNPs exhibit potential for cancer therapy due to good biocompatibility and luminescence.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) offer unique optical properties for biomedical applications.
- Surface modification of UCNPs is crucial for enhancing their stability and biocompatibility in biological environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize polymer-coated hexagonal NaYF4:Yb, Er nanoparticles (UCNPs).
- To evaluate the colloidal stability, chemical stability, cellular uptake, and cytotoxicity of UCNPs coated with different polymers.
Main Methods:
- High-temperature coprecipitation for UCNP synthesis.
- Polymer coating with PEG-alendronate, PDMA-alendronate, and PMVEMA.
- Dynamic light scattering for colloidal stability assessment.
- Potentiometric measurements for chemical stability.
- Cellular uptake and viability assays (Alamar Blue) on C6 cells and rMSCs.
Main Results:
- UCNP@PMVEMA demonstrated the best colloidal stability in PBS.
- All particles showed relative chemical stability in DMEM; UCNP@PMVEMA was most stable in PBS.
- UCNP@Ale-PEG and UCNP@Ale-PDMA showed least solubility in water and ALF.
- Successful cellular internalization was confirmed, with neat UCNPs showing highest uptake, followed by UCNP@Ale-PDMA and UCNP@PMVEMA.
- Prolonged incubation (72h) reduced cell viability, with neat UCNPs and UCNP@PMVEMA causing the greatest decrease.
Conclusions:
- Polymer coatings influence the stability, solubility, and cellular interactions of UCNPs.
- PDMA-coated hexagonal UCNPs possess high upconversion luminescence, good cellular uptake, and acceptable toxicity, indicating potential for cancer therapy applications.
