In vivo NIR fluorescence imaging, biodistribution, and toxicology of photoluminescent carbon dots produced from carbon nanotubes and graphite.

Oxidization of carbon nanotubes by a mixed acid has been utilized as a standard method to functionalize carbon nanomaterials for years. Here, the products obtained from carbon nanotubes and graphite after a mixed-acid treatment are carefully studied. Nearly identical carbon dot (Cdot) products with diameters of 3-4 nm are produced using this approach from a variety of carbon starting materials, including single-walled carbon nanotubes, multiwalled carbon nanotubes, and graphite. These Cdots exhibit strong yellow fluorescence under UV irradiation and shifted emission peaks as the excitation wavelength is changed. In vivo fluorescence imaging with Cdots is then demonstrated in mouse experiments, by using varied excitation wavelengths including some in the near-infrared (NIR) region. Furthermore, in vivo biodistribution and toxicology of those Cdots in mice over different periods of time are studied; no noticeable signs of toxicity for Cdots to the treated animals are discovered. This work provides a facile method to synthesize Cdots as safe non-heavy-metal-containing fluorescent nanoprobes, promising for applications in biomedical imaging.

[1]  Kai Yang,et al.  In vitro and in vivo behaviors of dextran functionalized graphene , 2011 .

[2]  J. Tour,et al.  Noncovalent functionalization of carbon nanovectors with an antibody enables targeted drug delivery. , 2011, ACS nano.

[3]  Kai Yang,et al.  In vivo pharmacokinetics, long-term biodistribution, and toxicology of PEGylated graphene in mice. , 2011, ACS nano.

[4]  Kai Yang,et al.  Optimization of surface chemistry on single-walled carbon nanotubes for in vivo photothermal ablation of tumors. , 2011, Biomaterials.

[5]  J. Tour,et al.  Effective drug delivery, in vitro and in vivo, by carbon-based nanovectors noncovalently loaded with unmodified Paclitaxel. , 2010, ACS nano.

[6]  Jinglin Liu,et al.  Water-soluble fluorescent carbon quantum dots and photocatalyst design. , 2010, Angewandte Chemie.

[7]  Hui Peng,et al.  Simple Aqueous Solution Route to Luminescent Carbogenic Dots from Carbohydrates , 2009 .

[8]  Ya‐Ping Sun,et al.  Carbon Dots as Nontoxic and High-Performance Fluorescence Imaging Agents. , 2009, The journal of physical chemistry. C, Nanomaterials and interfaces.

[9]  Fan Yang,et al.  Microwave synthesis of fluorescent carbon nanoparticles with electrochemiluminescence properties. , 2009, Chemical communications.

[10]  K. Loh,et al.  One-pot synthesis of fluorescent carbon nanoribbons, nanoparticles, and graphene by the exfoliation of graphite in ionic liquids. , 2009, ACS nano.

[11]  Ya‐Ping Sun,et al.  Carbon dots for optical imaging in vivo. , 2009, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[12]  Dongqing Wu,et al.  An aqueous route to multicolor photoluminescent carbon dots using silica spheres as carriers. , 2009, Angewandte Chemie.

[13]  Debraj Ghosh,et al.  Nanosized Carbon Particles From Natural Gas Soot , 2009 .

[14]  Jing Yang,et al.  One-step synthesis of fluorescent carbon nanoparticles by laser irradiation , 2009 .

[15]  D. Pang,et al.  The biocompatibility of quantum dot probes used for the targeted imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis. , 2008, Biomaterials.

[16]  Ya‐Ping Sun,et al.  Doped Carbon Nanoparticles as a New Platform for Highly Photoluminescent Dots. , 2008, The journal of physical chemistry. C, Nanomaterials and interfaces.

[17]  Prashant V. Kamat,et al.  Quantum Dot Solar Cells. Semiconductor Nanocrystals as Light Harvesters , 2008 .

[18]  R. Nitschke,et al.  Quantum dots versus organic dyes as fluorescent labels , 2008, Nature Methods.

[19]  B. Nemery,et al.  Acute Toxicity and Prothrombotic Effects of Quantum Dots: Impact of Surface Charge , 2008, Environmental health perspectives.

[20]  Ming-Hsien Tsai,et al.  Computational and ultrastructural toxicology of a nanoparticle, Quantum Dot 705, in mice. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[21]  E. Giannelis,et al.  Photoluminescent Carbogenic Dots , 2008 .

[22]  E. Giannelis,et al.  Surface functionalized carbogenic quantum dots. , 2008, Small.

[23]  H. Dai,et al.  In vivo biodistribution and highly efficient tumour targeting of carbon nanotubes in mice. , 2020, Nature nanotechnology.

[24]  M. Bawendi,et al.  Renal clearance of quantum dots , 2007, Nature Biotechnology.

[25]  Ya‐Ping Sun,et al.  Carbon dots for multiphoton bioimaging. , 2007, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[26]  C. Mao,et al.  Fluorescent carbon nanoparticles derived from candle soot. , 2007, Angewandte Chemie.

[27]  J. Tour,et al.  Soluble ultra-short single-walled carbon nanotubes. , 2006, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[28]  Ya‐Ping Sun,et al.  Quantum-sized carbon dots for bright and colorful photoluminescence. , 2006, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[29]  Ron C. Hardman.  A Toxicologic Review of Quantum Dots: Toxicity Depends on Physicochemical and Environmental Factors , 2005, Environmental health perspectives.

[30]  Sung Ju Cho,et al.  Unmodified cadmium telluride quantum dots induce reactive oxygen species formation leading to multiple organelle damage and cell death. , 2005, Chemistry & biology.

[31]  S. Gambhir,et al.  Quantum Dots for Live Cells, in Vivo Imaging, and Diagnostics , 2005, Science.

[32]  Z. Gu,et al.  Biodistribution of carbon single-wall carbon nanotubes in mice. , 2004, Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

[33]  W. Webb,et al.  Water-Soluble Quantum Dots for Multiphoton Fluorescence Imaging in Vivo , 2003, Science.

[34]  M. Bruchez,et al.  Corrigendum: Immunofluorescent labeling of cancer marker Her2 and other cellular targets with semiconductor quantum dots , 2003, Nature Biotechnology.

[35]  Jason E. Riggs,et al.  Strong Luminescence of Solubilized Carbon Nanotubes , 2000 .

[36]  Eklund,et al.  Solution properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes , 1998, Science.

[37]  A. Alivisatos.  Semiconductor Clusters, Nanocrystals, and Quantum Dots , 1996, Science.

[38]  P. Guyot-Sionnest,et al.  Synthesis and Characterization of Strongly Luminescing ZnS-Capped CdSe Nanocrystals , 1996 .