Author Affiliations
Abstract
1 QOPNA
2 CICECO and Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
3 CESAM and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
4 Centro de Qui{mica Estrutural, Instituto Superior Tecnico Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
5 Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Ghent University, B-9000 Gent Belgium
Among the several types of inorganic nanoparticles available, silica nanoparticles (SNP) have earned their relevance in biological applications namely, as bioimaging agents. In fact, fluorescent SNP (FSNP) have been explored in this field as protective nanocarriers, overcoming some limitations presented by conventional organic dyes such as high photobleaching rates. A crucial aspect on the use of fluorescent SNP relates to their surface properties, since it determines the extent of interaction between nanoparticles and biological systems, namely in terms of colloidal stability in water, cellular recognition and internalization, tracking, biodistribution and speci- ficity, among others. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms underlying the interaction between biosystems and the SNP surfaces, making surface functionalization a relevant step in order to take full advantage of particle properties. The versatility of the surface chemistry on silica platforms, together with the intrinsic hydrophilicity and biocompatibility, make these systems suitable for bioimaging applications, such as those mentioned in this review.
Fluorescent silica nanoparticles bioimaging surface functionalization nanoparticlecell interactions Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences
2016, 9(4): 1630005