Biotecnología y Biomateriales

Abstracto

Preparation and Characterization of Biocompatible Quaternized Chitosan Nanoparticles Encapsulating CdS Quantum Dots

Yan Li, Min Hu, Baiwen Qi, Xiaoying Wang and Yumin Du

Nanoparticles were produced by encapsulating CdS quantum dots (QDs) with quaternized chitosan (N-(2- hydroxyl) propyl-3-trimethyl ammonium chitosan chloride, HTCC), in order to improve general biocompatibility and stability of pure QDs. The properties of CdS QDs encapsulated HTCC nanoparticles (HTCC/CdS QDs) can be controlled by changing the mass ratios of QD to HTCC (16:1, 8:1, 4:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, 1:8). Characterizations of HTCC/CdS QDs nanoparticles were performed using ultraviolet-visible, fluorescence spectrometry, and sizezeta analysis. As compared with nonencapsulated QDs, these HTCC/CdS QDs nanoparticles would keep their original optical properties, and greatly improve the quantum yield and stability in room temperature. The quantum yield can be improved from 9% to 23%. When the mass ratio of QD and HTCC was 1.0, the nanoparticles had the highest quantum yield (23%). After being stored for a week, the nanoparticles could still keep stable and high fluorescence intensity, while that of non-encapsulated QDs almost disappeared. In vitro 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cytotoxicity tests on primary myoblast cells suggested that the cytotoxicity of the QDs was greatly reduced after HTCC encapsulation. Therefore, due to the increase of biocompability, HTCC/ CdS QDs nanoparticles can be potentially used in biological applications and labeling of biomolecules.