A novel flurophore-cyano-carboxylic-Ag microhybrid: Enhanced two photon absorption for two-photon photothermal therapy of HeLa cancer cells by targeting mitochondria

Publication date: 15 June 2018
Source:Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Volume 108
Author(s): Lin Kong, Li Yang, Chen-Qi Xin, Shu-Juan Zhu, Hui-Hui Zhang, Ming-Zhu Zhang, Jia-Xiang Yang, Lin Li, Hong-Ping Zhou, Yu-Peng Tian
In this study, a novel two-photon photothermal therapy (TP-PTT) agent based on an organic-metal microhybrid with surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) enhanced two-photon absorption (TPA) characteristic was designed and synthesized using a fluorescent cyano-carboxylic derivative 2-cyano-3-(9-ethyl-9H-carbazol-3-yl) -acrylic acid (abbreviated as CECZA) and silver nanoparticles through self-assembly process induced by the interfacial coordination interactions between the O/N atom of CECZA and Ag⁺ion at the surface of Ag nanoparticles. The coordination interactions caused electron transfer from the Ag nanoparticles to CECZA molecules at the excited state, resulting in a decreased fluorescence quantum yield. The interfacial coordination interactions also enhanced the nonlinear optical properties, including 13 times increase in the TPA cross-section (δ). The decreased fluorescence quantum yield and increased two photon absorption caused by the SPR effect led excellent two-photon photothermal conversion, which was beneficial for the TP-PTT effect on HeLa cancer cells.

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