Carbonized polymer dots with dual‐wavelength emission for labeling nucleoli in live cells through hydrogen bonding‐induced aggregation

Abstract

We prepared carboxyl‐containing carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) with dual‐wavelength emission through a simple hydrothermal method. The CPDs emit blue light in live cells under the excitation at 405 nm, and show green fluorescence in cytoplasm and nucleoli when excited at 488 nm. No fluorescence can be seen in nuclei except nucleoli under the excitation at 488 nm, which means that the CPDs have excellent ability of labeling nucleoli in live cells with low background interference. This ability of the CPDs is derived from the aggregation induced by the hydrogen bonding between the carboxyl groups of the CPDs and the hydroxyl groups of ribonucleic acid at nucleoli. Fluorescence and cell culture passage experiments prove that the CPDs have no strong interaction with RNA, and all of them can be excreted out of cells in a couple of days. In vivo imaging for Caenorhabditis elegans indicates that the CPDs show the possibility of labeling nucleoli in live organisms in real‐time.

Comprehensive review on fluorescent carbon dots and their applications in nucleic acid detection, nucleolus targeted imaging and gene delivery

“…In a recent work, HBIE has been reported in CDs owing to the H-bonding interaction between the carboxyl groups of the CPDs and RNA. 58…”

“…This strong affinity between RNA and CPDs induced the aggregation of CPDs specifically at the nucleoli once they enter the nuclei. 58 In addition to conventional chemical precursors, CDs prepared from naturally occurring biomass sources such as rosin and miswak have demonstrated efficacy in nucleus-specific imaging applications. The utilization of these natural materials provides a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative with enhanced biocompatibility and functionality in the resulting CDs.…”

Fluorometric assay of hydroquinone without interference from catechol and resorcinol based on carbonized polymer dots

“…19 Functionalized CPDs can be widely used in optoelectronic devices, fluorescence sensors and drug delivery. [20][21][22] N/S/P co-doped carbon dots (NPSCDs) were used to design a turn-off-on fluorescence sensor to detect HQ in our previous work. 13 NPSCDs easily coordinate with Fe 3+ , which induces NPSCD aggregation and fluorescence quenching.…”

“…19 Functionalized CPDs can be widely used in optoelectronic devices, fluorescence sensors and drug delivery. 20–22…”

A robust, stretchable, transparent, solvent‐resistant, and fluorescent composite: Anchoring carbon dots in polyurethane to obtain new photoluminescent emissions

“…Most of the reported CDs exhibit strong photoluminescence in their solutions, but solid‐state CDs always show no or weak photoluminescent emissions, this phenomenon is called aggregation caused quenching (ACQ), 16–19 which is attributed to the excessive fluorescence resonance energy transfer and/or π‐π interaction among adjacent CDs in solid state 20 . ACQ greatly impedes the application of CDs in the field of optoelectronic devices including light‐emitting diodes 21–23 .…”