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Size-Tunable Fluorescent Unimolecular Nanoparticles (FUNs) for Bright Cancer Imaging
Qiuyang Dong1, Minghui Li1, Huiming Ren1
1Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
Researchers developed size-tunable fluorescent unimolecular nanoparticles (FUNs) for biomedical imaging. Smaller FUNs (30-60 nm) show enhanced cellular uptake, circulation, and tumor targeting, offering potential for advanced optical imaging.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Fluorescent nanoparticles like quantum dots and carbon dots are crucial for biomedical imaging.
- Existing probes often lack well-defined sizes, bright fluorescence, and easy functionalization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a facile method for creating size-tunable fluorescent unimolecular nanoparticles (FUNs).
- To evaluate the potential of these FUNs for biomedical imaging applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized FUNs via ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of N-carboxyanhydrides using a fluorescent dye-cored polylysine dendrimer as a macroinitiator.
- Controlled particle size (30, 60, 90, 130 nm) by adjusting monomer-to-initiator ratio.
- Modified FUNs with glutamic acids (FUNs-Glu) for biological evaluation.
Main Results:
- Achieved tunable particle sizes with high fluorescence quantum yield (up to 6.6-fold increase).
- Demonstrated particle size-dependent cellular uptake, blood circulation, and tumor accumulation via optical imaging.
- FUNs-Glu of 30 and 60 nm showed superior performance in circulation, tumor targeting, and penetration.
Conclusions:
- FUNs offer tunable size, single-molecule structure, excellent fluorescence, and functionalization potential.
- These dendritic nanoparticles show great promise for diverse biomedical imaging applications.
