Open AccessIn Situ Ligand-Directed Growth of Gold Nanoparticles in Biological Tissues
Author(s) -
Chuanqi Peng,
Miao Yu,
Jie Zheng
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
nano letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.853
H-Index - 488
eISSN - 1530-6992
pISSN - 1530-6984
DOI - 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b04911
Subject(s) - colloidal gold , ligand (biochemistry) , nanoparticle , in situ , nanotechnology , chemistry , biophysics , materials science , biochemistry , receptor , biology , organic chemistry
Fundamental understandings and precise control of nanoparticle growth in the complex biological environment are crucial to broadening their potential applications in tissue imaging. Herein, we report that glutathione (GSH), a widely used capping ligand for precise control of the size of gold nanoparticle (AuNP) down to single-atom level in test tubes, can also be used to direct the selective growth of the AuNPs in the mitochondria of renal tubule cells as well as hippocampus cells in the tissues. Precise control of this growth process can lead to the formation of both ultrasmall AuNPs with near-infrared luminescence and large plasmonic AuNPs. The observed selective growth of the AuNPs is likely due to unique GSH storage function of the mitochondria. Using a different ligand, β-glucose thiol, we also found that the brush border of the intestine for glucose absorption became the major site for the growth of luminescent AuNPs. These findings suggest that selective growth of AuNPs in the biological tissues can indeed be directed with specific ligands, opening up a new avenue to tissue labeling and future development of artificial bionano hybrid systems.