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Gómez-Morales J, Fernández-Penas R, Romero-Castillo I, Verdugo-Escamilla C, Choquesillo-Lazarte D, D’Urso A, Prat M, Fernández-Sánchez JF. Crystallization, Luminescence and Cytocompatibility of Hexagonal Calcium Doped Terbium Phosphate Hydrate Nanoparticles. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2021; 11:322. [PMID: 33513811 PMCID: PMC7910970 DOI: 10.3390/nano11020322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Luminescent lanthanide-containing biocompatible nanosystems represent promising candidates as nanoplatforms for bioimaging applications. Herein, citrate-functionalized calcium-doped terbium phosphate hydrate nanophosphors of the rhabdophane type were prepared at different synthesis times and different Ca2+/Tb3+ ratios by a bioinspired crystallization method consisting of thermal decomplexing of Ca2+/Tb3+/citrate/phosphate/carbonate solutions. Nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, TEM, SEM, HR-TEM, FTIR, Raman, Thermogravimetry, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, thermoanalysis, dynamic light scattering, electrophoretic mobility, and fluorescence spectroscopy. They displayed ill-defined isometric morphologies with sizes ≤50 nm, hydration number n ~ 0.9, tailored Ca2+ content (0.42-8.11 wt%), and long luminescent lifetimes (800-2600 µs). Their relative luminescence intensities in solid state are neither affected by Ca2+, citrate content, nor by maturation time for Ca2+ doping concentration in solution below 0.07 M Ca2+. Only at this doping concentration does the maturation time strongly affect this property, decreasing it. In aqueous suspensions, neither pH nor ionic strength nor temperature affect their luminescence properties. All the nanoparticles displayed high cytocompatibility on two human carcinoma cell lines and cell viability correlated positively with the amount of doping Ca2+. Thus, these nanocrystals represent promising new luminescent nanoprobes for potential biomedical applications and, if coupled with targeting and therapeutic moieties, they could be effective tools for theranostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Gómez-Morales
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, IACT, CSIC-UGR, Avda. Las Palmeras, nº 4, 18100 Granada, Spain; (R.F.-P.); (I.R.-C.); (C.V.-E.); (D.C.-L.)
| | - Raquel Fernández-Penas
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, IACT, CSIC-UGR, Avda. Las Palmeras, nº 4, 18100 Granada, Spain; (R.F.-P.); (I.R.-C.); (C.V.-E.); (D.C.-L.)
| | - Ismael Romero-Castillo
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, IACT, CSIC-UGR, Avda. Las Palmeras, nº 4, 18100 Granada, Spain; (R.F.-P.); (I.R.-C.); (C.V.-E.); (D.C.-L.)
| | - Cristóbal Verdugo-Escamilla
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, IACT, CSIC-UGR, Avda. Las Palmeras, nº 4, 18100 Granada, Spain; (R.F.-P.); (I.R.-C.); (C.V.-E.); (D.C.-L.)
| | - Duane Choquesillo-Lazarte
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, IACT, CSIC-UGR, Avda. Las Palmeras, nº 4, 18100 Granada, Spain; (R.F.-P.); (I.R.-C.); (C.V.-E.); (D.C.-L.)
| | - Annarita D’Urso
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli, 17, 28100 Novara, Italy;
| | - Maria Prat
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli, 17, 28100 Novara, Italy;
- Centro di Biotecnologie per la Ricerca Medica Applicata (BRMA), Via Solaroli 17, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Consorzio Interuniversitario per Biotecnologie (CIB), Località Padriciano 99, 34149 Area di Ricerca, Italy
- Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali (INSTM), 28100 Novara, Italy
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