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Facile synthesis of near-infrared CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots and glycol-chitosan coating for in vivo imaging

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Abstract

This study describes the synthesis method of water-soluble, low-toxicity, photostable highly luminescent probes based on I–III–VI2 type semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and the possibility of tumor targeting in living animals. Cd-free high-quality CuInS2/ZnS core/shell QDs were synthesized, and their surfaces were reacted with mercaptoundecanoic acid for aqueous phase transfer followed by reaction with glycol-chitosan; lastly, Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) integrin-binding peptide was covalently attached for in vivo tumor targeting. Dowtherm A, a highly viscous heat-transfer organic fluid, was used to control semiconductor crystal growth at high temperature (>230 °C) during organic synthesis. The structural and optical properties of the resulting CuInS2/ZnS QDs were investigated. The average diameters of CuInS2 and CuInS2/ZnS QDs were 3.0 and 3.7 nm, respectively. Cell toxicity and in vivo tumor targetability in RR1022 cancer cell-xenografted mice were further evaluated using cRGDyk-tagged glycol-chitosan-coated CuInS2/ZnS QDs. Glycol-chitosan-coated MUA-QDs displayed a Z-average diameter of 203.8 ± 7.67 nm in water by dynamic light scattering.

In vivo tumor targeting using cRGDyk-tagged glycol-chitosan-coated MUA-CuInS2/ZnS QDs nanoparticles

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Radiation Technology R&D program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2015M2A2A6A04044884 and 2016M2A2A7A03912640).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Molecular Imaging & Therapeutic Medicine Research Center, Cyclotron Research Center, Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Biomedical Research Institute, Chonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, Chonbuk, Republic of Korea

    Eun-Mi Kim, Seok Tae Lim, Myung-Hee Sohn & Hwan-Jeong Jeong

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Chonbuk National University Hospital, 20, Geonjiro, Duckjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jellaabuk-Do, 54907, Republic of Korea

    Hwan-Jeong Jeong

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  1. Eun-Mi Kim
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Correspondence to Hwan-Jeong Jeong.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Kim, EM., Lim, S.T., Sohn, MH. et al. Facile synthesis of near-infrared CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots and glycol-chitosan coating for in vivo imaging. J Nanopart Res 19, 251 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-017-3944-1

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