Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2016
Publication Source
Journal of Nanobiotechnology
Abstract
Background: Nanoparticles have emerged as key materials for developing applications in nanomedicine, nanobiotechnology, bioimaging and theranostics. Existing bioimaging technologies include bioluminescent resonance energy transfer-conjugated quantum dots (BRET-QDs). Despite the current use of BRET-QDs for bioimaging, there are strong concerns about QD nanocomposites containing cadmium which exhibits potential cellular toxicity.
Results: In this study, bioluminescent composites comprised of magnetic nanoparticles and firefly luciferase (Photinus pyralis) are examined as potential light-emitting agents for imaging, detection, and tracking mammalian spermatozoa. Characterization was carried out using infrared spectroscopy, TEM and cryo-TEM imaging, and ζ-potential measurements to demonstrate the successful preparation of these nanocomposites. Binding interactions between the synthesized nanoparticles and spermatozoon were characterized using confocal and atomic/magnetic force microscopy. Bioluminescence imaging and UV–visible-NIR microscopy results showed light emission from sperm samples incubated with the firefly luciferase-modified nanoparticles. Therefore, these newly synthesized luciferase-modified magnetic nanoparticles show promise as substitutes for QD labeling, and can potentially also be used for in vivo manipulation and tracking, as well as MRI techniques.
Conclusions: These preliminary data indicate that luciferase-magnetic nanoparticle composites can potentially be used for spermatozoa detection and imaging. Their magnetic properties add additional functionality to allow for manipulation, sorting, or tracking of cells using magnetic techniques.
ISBN/ISSN
1477-3155
Document Version
Published Version
Copyright
Copyright © 2016, Vasquez et al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
Publisher
BioMed Central
Volume
14
Peer Reviewed
yes
Issue
20
Keywords
Spermatozoa, Bioluminescence Imaging, Magnetic nanoparticles, Nanocomposites, Reproduction, Core–shell nanoparticles, Luciferase
Sponsoring Agency
National Science Foundation, Mississippi State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture
eCommons Citation
Vasquez, Erick Salvador; Feugang, Jean M.; Willard, Scott T.; Ryan, Peter L.; and Walters, Keisha B., "Bioluminescent Magnetic Nanoparticles as Potential Imaging Agents for Mammalian Spermatozoa" (2016). Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications. 176.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/cme_fac_pub/176
Included in
Other Chemical Engineering Commons, Other Materials Science and Engineering Commons, Petroleum Engineering Commons, Polymer and Organic Materials Commons, Thermodynamics Commons
Comments
This work has been funded by the National Science Foundation (EPS-0903787; IIA-1430364), the Office of Research and Economic Development at Mississippi State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (#58-6402-3-018).