Label for the cell
The "oilmen" marked the cells with galloisite
Researchers from the Russian State University of Oil and Gas together with colleagues from Kazan Federal University have shown the suitability of nanostructures based on cadmium, zinc, sulfur and the mineral galloisite for use in cell labeling. Such markers are in demand in medical and biological research, and potentially in the diagnosis of a number of diseases. The corresponding article is published in Nanomaterials (Stavitskaya et al., Fluorescence and Cytotoxicity of Cadmium Sulfide Quantum Dots Stabilized on Clay Nanotubes).
The scientists conducted experiments with several types of nanostructures grown by them. All of them consisted of quantum dots 6-9 nanometers in size – cadmium sulfide (CDs) and compounds of cadmium, zinc and sulfur (cdxzn₁-xS) placed inside galloisite nanotubes. Quantum dots are fragments of a semiconductor whose dimensions are so small that quantum effects become noticeable in it. The nanoparticles were grown on nanotubes of the mineral galloisite, which had a length of about 50 nanometers and were coated with NH2 groups and azines. Metals and sulfur were transferred to nanotubes using ligand molecules, after which the atoms of all the components of the quantum dots self-assembled.
After growing, nanostructures of quantum dots and nanotubes were applied to fibroblasts (a type of human connective tissue cells) and the surface of cancer cells (prostate cancer). In both cases, experiments were conducted with cell cultures in test tubes. After application, the cells gradually absorbed the nanoparticles. At the same time, the nanostructures, being inside the cell, still demonstrated good fluorescence (luminosity) and effective scattering of light incident on the cells from an external source.
The authors of the work note that for the first time they were able to demonstrate the possibility of labeling (and "highlighting" from the inside) cells using such nanostructures. Their advantage is that cadmium-based quantum dots are enclosed inside a nanotube, which removes the problem of toxicity of this metal. At the same time, as a "highlight", such structures are noticeably more effective than most existing analogues.
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