Abstract
Non-responsive emission enhancement is the disadvantage of upconversion nanomaterials (UCNM) when compared with conventional organic based agents for molecular imaging. We herein show a new strategy by conjugating NaGdF4:Yb3+,Er3+@NaGdF4 (UCNP) with peptides to achieve responsive UC emission enhancement upon binding to a targeted protein-EBNA1. EBNA1 is a well-known viral latent protein for the EBV-associated cancer. Peptide-coating of the functionalized core-shell nanoparticle diminishes upconverted emission intensity drastically. However, the peptide-coated UCNP shows selective and responsive UC emission enhancement via aggregation with the targeted protein. This phenomenon paves a new way for UCNM in molecular imaging.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 15632-15640 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Nanoscale |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 33 |
| Early online date | 6 Aug 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 7 Sept 2018 |