Issue 37, 2017

Mammalian cell defence mechanisms against the cytotoxicity of NaYF4:(Er,Yb,Gd) nanoparticles

Abstract

Water-soluble upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+,Gd3+, with various concentrations of Gd3+ ions and relatively high upconversion efficiencies, were synthesized. The internalization and cytotoxicity of the thus obtained UCNPs were evaluated in three cell lines (HeLa, HEK293 and astrocytes). No cytotoxicity was observed even at concentrations of UCNPs up to 50 μg ml−1. The fate of the UCNPs within the cells was studied by examining their upconversion emission spectra with confocal microscopy and confirming these observations with transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the cellular uptake of the UCNPs occurred primarily by clathrin-mediated endocytosis, whereas they were secreted from the cells via lysosomal exocytosis. The results of this study, focused on the mechanisms of the cellular uptake, localization and secretion of UCNPs, demonstrate, for the first time, the co-localization of UCNPs within discrete cell organelles.

Graphical abstract: Mammalian cell defence mechanisms against the cytotoxicity of NaYF4:(Er,Yb,Gd) nanoparticles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 May 2017
Accepted
17 Aug 2017
First published
18 Aug 2017

Nanoscale, 2017,9, 14259-14271

Mammalian cell defence mechanisms against the cytotoxicity of NaYF4:(Er,Yb,Gd) nanoparticles

B. Sikora, P. Kowalik, J. Mikulski, K. Fronc, I. Kamińska, M. Szewczyk, A. Konopka, K. Zajdel, R. Minikayev, K. Sobczak, W. Zaleszczyk, A. Borodziuk, J. Rybusiński, J. Szczytko, A. Sienkiewicz, T. Wojciechowski, P. Stępień, M. Frontczak-Baniewicz, M. Łapiński, G. Wilczyński, W. Paszkowicz, A. Twardowski and D. Elbaum, Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 14259 DOI: 10.1039/C7NR03705H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements