Quantitative characterization of the lipid encapsulation of quantum dots for biomedical applications

Galloway, Justin F.; Winter, Alan; Lee, Kwan Hyi; Park, Jea Ho; Dvoracek, Charlene; Devreotes, Peter; Searson, Peter C.

doi:10.1016/j.nano.2011.12.002

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Quantitative characterization of the lipid encapsulation of quantum dots for biomedical applications

Justin F. Galloway, BS
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Alan Winter, BS
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
Kwan Hyi Lee, PhD
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Present address: KIST Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.
Jea Ho Park, MSE
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Charlene Dvoracek, BS
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Peter Devreotes, PhD
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Peter C. Searson, PhD
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Corresponding author: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.

Received 21 November 2011; accepted 12 December 2011. published online 26 December 2011.
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Abstract

The water solubilization of nanoparticles is key for many applications in biomedicine. Despite the importance of surface functionalization, progress has been largely empirical and very few systematic studies have been performed. Here we report on the water solubilization of quantum dots using lipid encapsulation. We systematically evaluate the monodispersity, zeta potential, stability, and quantum yield for quantum dots encapsulated with single and double acyl–chain lipids, pegylated double acyl–chain lipids, and single alkyl–chain surfactant molecules with charged head groups. We show that charged surfactants and pegylated lipids are important to obtain monodisperse suspensions with high yield and excellent long-term stability.

Graphical Abstract

Lipid encapsulation is a biomimetic approach to water solubilization of nanoparticles that takes advantage of hydrophobic interactions to drive formation of an outer leaflet. The physicochemical properties of lipid-encapsulated nanoparticles, such as monodispersity, zeta potential, stability, and quantum yield, can be optimized by varying the composition of the lipid layer through combinations of single- and double–acyl chain lipids, pegylated double–acyl chain lipids, and single–alkyl chain surfactant molecules with charged head groups.

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Key words: Quantum dots, Lipids, Surface functionalization, Biomedicine, Solubilization

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The authors acknowledge support from the National Institutes of Health (U54CA151838) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) (CHE-0905869). J.F.G. acknowledges support from the NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program. A.W. acknowledges support from the Institute for NanoBioTechnology Research Experience for Undergraduates program at Johns Hopkins University.

PII: S1549-9634(11)00597-1

doi:10.1016/j.nano.2011.12.002

« BackNanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine

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