Tetraphenylethylene-Based Photoluminescent Self-Assembled Nanoparticles: Preparation and Biological Evaluation

Abstract

The conjugation of tetraphenylethylene (TPE) with podophyllotoxin, N-desacetyl­thiocolchicine, and cabazitaxel through a sebacic acid linker led to the formation of fluorescent nanoparticles. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used for the identification and characterization of the fluorescent nanoparticles. The biological evaluation was determined in three human ovarian (KURAMOCHI, OVCAR3, OVSAHO) and three human breast (MCF7, SKBR 3, and MDA-MB231) cancer cell lines. In the case of cabazitaxel, the nanoparticles maintained the activity of the parent drug, at the low nanomolar range, while exhibiting high blue fluorescence. The internalization of the fluorescent NPs into cells was detected using immunofluorescence assay.

Aggregation-Induced Enhanced Emission of Tetraphenylethene-phenylalanine Hybrids: Synthesis and Characterization

“…The high signal-to-noise ratio of the probe demonstrated the absence of known lacking limitations of conventional fluorogenic probes and could be used for in vitro diagnostic applications in neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, in our research group, fatty acid/TPE chimera molecules have been developed and used for the preparation of AIE peptide-based supramolecular gels and for the selective delivery of anticancer drugs . Moreover, an alternative to peptide/protein labeling is the development of unnatural fluorescent amino acids (FlAAs), characterized by the presence of luminescent scaffolds on their side chains.…”