The syntheses of environmental friendly semiconductor nanocrystals (QDs) such as Indium Phosphide (InP) QDs are nowadays well-established and they possess high-quality optical properties. Despite these synthetic advances, gaps in knowledge of their intracellular fate, persistence, and excretion from the targeted cell/organism still exist, preventing clinical applications. In this study by using a simple model organism having a tissue grade organization, we determined the toxicological impact of InP QDs.1 Moreover, we analysed their biodistribution by X-ray fluorescence and complemented these information by mapping the single elements with X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy, achieving unique information on in situ chemical speciation. We observed an unexpectedly fast dynamics of QD degradation, occurring within the first hour post incubation. Our study brought new insights into the intracellular fate of photoluminescent nanocrystals after the loss of their optical properties and pave the way for the design of more biological stable InP QDs for future biomedical applications.
Dissecting the Intracellular Fate of Indium Phosphide Quantum Dots in vivo Using Synchrotron XRF and XANES
Tortiglione claudia
2020
Abstract
The syntheses of environmental friendly semiconductor nanocrystals (QDs) such as Indium Phosphide (InP) QDs are nowadays well-established and they possess high-quality optical properties. Despite these synthetic advances, gaps in knowledge of their intracellular fate, persistence, and excretion from the targeted cell/organism still exist, preventing clinical applications. In this study by using a simple model organism having a tissue grade organization, we determined the toxicological impact of InP QDs.1 Moreover, we analysed their biodistribution by X-ray fluorescence and complemented these information by mapping the single elements with X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy, achieving unique information on in situ chemical speciation. We observed an unexpectedly fast dynamics of QD degradation, occurring within the first hour post incubation. Our study brought new insights into the intracellular fate of photoluminescent nanocrystals after the loss of their optical properties and pave the way for the design of more biological stable InP QDs for future biomedical applications.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
