Quantum dot-aluminum phthalocyanine conjugates perform photodynamic reactions to kill cancer cells via fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Li, Lei Zhao, Jin-Feng Won, Nayoun Jin, Ho Kim, Sungjee Chen, Ji-Yao
Copyright Year	2012
Abstract	Sulfonated aluminum phthalocyanines (AlPcSs), commonly used photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy of cancers (PDT), were conjugated with amine-dihydrolipoic acid-coated quantum dots (QDs) by electrostatic binding, achieving 70 AlPcSs per QD. The AlPcS-QD conjugates can utilize the intense light absorptions of conjugated QDs to indirectly excite AlPcSs producing singlet oxygen via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), demonstrating a new excitation model for PDT. The AlPcS-QD conjugates easily penetrated into human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and carried out the FRET in cells, with efficiency around 80%. Under the irradiation of a 532-nm laser, which is at the absorption region of QDs but not fit for the absorption of AlPcSs, the cellular AlPcS-QD conjugates can destroy most cancer cells via FRET-mediated PDT, showing the potential of this new strategy for PDT.
ISSN	19317573
Journal	Nanoscale Research Letters
Volume Number	7
PubMed Central reference number	PMC3651390
Issue Number	1
PubMed reference number	22784858
e-ISSN	1556276X
DOI	10.1186/1556-276x-7-386
Language	English
Publisher	Springer
Publisher Date	2012-07-12
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Copyright ©2012 Li et al.; licensee Springer.
Subject Keyword	Quantum dot Aluminum phthalocyanine Fluorescence resonance energy transfer Photodynamic therapy of cancers.
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Condensed Matter Physics Materials Science