Impact of various coatings on optical properties and accumulation of upconverting nanoparticles in cancer cells

Abstract

Comprehensive research around current problems in cancer tumour imaging fostered emergence of a new generation fluorophores, also termed as upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs), as an alternative nanoplatforms to address these paramount issues [1]. Nonetheless, before real-life application, it is crucial to acknowledge to what extent different properties of these nanoparticles can play a role in targeted biomedical imaging, like of human breast cancer [2]. There are knowledge gaps on the role of different coatings on nanoparticle colloidal stability as well as their behavior in cancer cells. Thereat, detailed research on this topic is of outmost importance. The aim of this work was to research optical properties of LiYF4:Yb3+, Tm3+ UCNPs which surface was modified with citrate, SiO2 and phospholipids, gain colloidal stability data and accumulation observations in human breast cancer cell lines with different tumorigenicity. It is crucial to identify nanoparticles with both, high colloidal stability and suitable optical properties, which can be applied successfully while carrying future experiments in vivo. Our current observations suggest that among the different UCNPs investigated citrate coated ones will be a significant tool for ongoing future applications.