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Cation Exchange Protocols to Radiolabel Aqueous Stabilized ZnS, ZnSe, and CuFeS 2 Nanocrystals with 64 Cu for Dual Radio‐ and Photo‐Thermal Therapy
Author(s) -
Avellini Tommaso,
Soni Nisarg,
Silvestri Niccolò,
Fiorito Sergio,
De Donato Francesco,
De Mei Claudia,
Walther Martin,
Cassani Marco,
Ghosh Sandeep,
Manna Liberato,
Stephan Holger,
Pellegrino Teresa
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.202002362
Subject(s) - materials science , aqueous solution , nanocrystal , chalcogenide , nuclear chemistry , ionization , analytical chemistry (journal) , nanotechnology , ion , chemistry , optoelectronics , organic chemistry , chromatography
Here, cation exchange (CE) reactions are exploited to radiolabel ZnSe, ZnS, and CuFeS 2 metal chalcogenide nanocrystals (NCs) with 64 Cu. The CE protocol requires one simple step, to mix the water‐soluble NCs with a 64 Cu solution, in the presence of vitamin C used to reduce Cu(II) to Cu(I). Given the quantitative cation replacement on the NCs, a high radiochemical yield, up to 99%, is reached. Also, provided that there is no free 64 Cu, no purification step is needed, making the protocol easily translatable to the clinic. A unique aspect of the approach is the achievement of an unprecedentedly high specific activity: by exploiting a volumetric CE, the strategy enables to concentrate a large dose of 64 Cu (18.5 MBq) in a small NC dose (0.18 µg), reaching a specific activity of 103 TBq g −1 . Finally, the characteristic dielectric resonance peak, still present for the radiolabeled 64 Cu:CuFeS 2 NCs after the partial‐CE reaction, enables the generation of heat under clinical laser exposure (1 W cm −2 ). The synergic toxicity of photo‐ablation and 64 Cu ionization is here proven on glioblastoma and epidermoid carcinoma tumor cells, while no intrinsic cytotoxicity is seen from the NC dose employed for these dual experiments.