Issue 16, 2021

Near infrared imaging of intracellular GSH by AuNCs@MnO2 core–shell nanoparticles based on the absorption competition mechanism

Abstract

Dynamically monitoring intracellular glutathione (GSH), a crucial biomarker of oxidative stress, is of significance for the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases. Although manganese dioxide (MnO2) based GSH fluorescent sensors have exhibited high sensitivity and good selectivity owing to the specific reactivity between GSH and MnO2, near-infrared (NIR) MnO2 based nanoprobes for GSH detection are scarce. Herein, we have developed a NIR activatable fluorescence nanoprobe for the imaging and determination of intracellular GSH based on a core–shell nanoparticle, consisting of NIR emitted gold nanocluster doped silica as the fluorescent core and manganese dioxide as the GSH-responsive shell (named AuNCs@MnO2). Due to the absorption competition mechanism, the outer MnO2 shell rather than the inner AuNCs core preferentially absorbed the excitation light, thus leading to fluorescence quenching of the inner AuNCs core. Upon addition of GSH, the fluorescence of the nanoprobe restored along with the reduction of MnO2 to Mn2+ because of the absorption competition disappearance-induced emission. The activatable fluorescence linearly increased upon changing the GSH concentration in the range of 2 to 5000 μM with a detection limit of 0.67 μM. The cytotoxicity test shows that the AuNCs@MnO2 nanoprobes have a good biocompatibility. After entering the cancer cells, the intracellular GSH degraded the outermost MnO2 shell and initiated the NIR fluorescence restoration of AuNCs, which can be used to monitor the dynamic change of intracellular GSH. This strategy provides an NIR-activatable way to detect GSH levels in living cells and offers a promising platform for the diagnosis and treatment of GSH-related diseases.

Graphical abstract: Near infrared imaging of intracellular GSH by AuNCs@MnO2 core–shell nanoparticles based on the absorption competition mechanism

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 May 2021
Accepted
20 Jun 2021
First published
23 Jun 2021

Analyst, 2021,146, 5115-5123

Near infrared imaging of intracellular GSH by AuNCs@MnO2 core–shell nanoparticles based on the absorption competition mechanism

H. Yao, D. Jiang, G. Dong, J. Sun, S. Sun, L. Li, F. Zheng and W. Xiong, Analyst, 2021, 146, 5115 DOI: 10.1039/D1AN00839K

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