Intracellular uptake and trafficking of difluoroboron dibenzoylmethane-polylactide nanoparticles in HeLa cells.

ABSTRACT: In this study, nanoparticles based on difluoroboron dibenzoylmethane-poly(lactic acid) (BF(2)dbmPLA) are prepared. Polylactic acid or polylactide is a commonly used degradable polymer, while the boron dye possesses a large extinction coefficient, high emission quantum yield, two-photon absorption, and sensitivity to the surrounding environment. BF(2)dbmPLA exhibits molecular-weight-dependent emission properties and can be formulated as stable nanoparticles, suggesting that its unique optical properties may be useful in multiple contexts for probing intracellular environments. Here we show that BF(2)dbmPLA nanoparticles are internalized into cultured HeLa cells by endocytosis, and that within the cellular milieu, they retain their fluorescence properties. BF(2)dbmPLA nanoparticles are photo

SUBMITTER: Contreras J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2948672 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature