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Synthesis of AS1411-Aptamer-Conjugated CdTe Quantum Dots with High Fluorescence Strength for Probe Labeling Tumor Cells

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Abstract

In this paper, we report microwave-assisted, one-stage synthesis of high-quality functionalized water-soluble cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots (QDs). By selecting sodium tellurite as the Te source, cadmium chloride as the Cd source, mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) as the capping agent, and a borate-acetic acid buffer solution with a pH range of 5–8, CdTe nanocrystals with four colors (blue to orange) were conveniently prepared at 100 °C under microwave irradiation in less than one hour (reaction time: 10–60 min). The influence of parameters such as the pH, Cd:Te molar ratio, and reaction time on the emission range and quantum yield percentage (QY%) was investigated. The structures and compositions of the prepared CdTe QDs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, selective area electron diffraction, and X-ray powder diffraction experiments. The formation mechanism of the QDs is discussed in this paper. Furthermore, AS1141-aptamer-conjugated CdTe QDs in the U87MG glioblastoma cell line were assessed with a fluorescence microscope. The obtained results showed that the best conditions for obtaining a high QY of approximately 87 % are a pH of 6, a Cd:Te molar ratio of 5:1, and a 30-min reaction time at 100 °C under microwave irradiation. The results showed that AS1141-aptamer-conjugated CdTe QDs could enter tumor cells efficiently. It could be concluded that a facile high-fluorescence-strength QD conjugated with a DNA aptamer, AS1411, which can recognize the extracellular matrix protein nucleolin, can specifically target U87MG human glioblastoma cells. The qualified AS1411-aptamer-conjugated QDs prepared in this study showed excellent capabilities as nanoprobes for cancer targeting and molecular imaging.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support received from the Research Council of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (No. 910040).

Competing Interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box 9196773117, Mashhad, Iran

    Mona Alibolandi & Farzin Hadizadeh

  2. Pharmaceutical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Khalil Abnous & Mohammad Ramezani

  3. Nanotechnology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Mohammad Ramezani

  4. Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan

    Hossein Hosseinkhani

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  1. Mona Alibolandi
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  2. Khalil Abnous
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Correspondence to Farzin Hadizadeh.

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Alibolandi, M., Abnous, K., Ramezani, M. et al. Synthesis of AS1411-Aptamer-Conjugated CdTe Quantum Dots with High Fluorescence Strength for Probe Labeling Tumor Cells. J Fluoresc 24, 1519–1529 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-014-1437-5

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