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One‐Step Synthesis of Folic Acid Protected Gold Nanoparticles and Their Receptor‐Mediated Intracellular Uptake
Author(s) -
Li Gaiping,
Li Dan,
Zhang Lixue,
Zhai Junfeng,
Wang Erkang
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.200900914
Subject(s) - x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , nanoparticle , transmission electron microscopy , nanomaterials , selected area diffraction , colloidal gold , nuclear chemistry , chemistry , spectroscopy , intracellular , materials science , analytical chemistry (journal) , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , biochemistry , chromatography , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
We report here a facile method to obtain folic acid (FA)‐protected gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) by heating an aqueous solution of HAuCl 4 /FA in which FA acts as both the reducing and stabilizing agent. The successful formation of FA‐protected Au NPs is demonstrated by UV/Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected‐area electron diffraction (SAED), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The intracellular uptake of these nanoparticles is facilitated by HeLa cells overexpressing the folate reporter, which itself is significantly inhibited by free FA in a competitive assay as quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP‐MS). This simple one‐step approach affords a new perspective for creating functional nanomaterials, and the resulting biocompatible, functional Au NPs may find some prospective applications in various biomedical fields.