Due to their robust optical properties, biological inertness, and readily adjustable surface chemistry, gold nanostructures have been demonstrated as contrast agents in a variety of biomedical imaging applications. One application is dynamic imaging of live cells using bioconjugated gold nanoparticles to monitor molecule trafficking mechanisms within cells; for instance, the regulatory pathway of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) undergoing endocytosis. In this paper, we have demonstrated a method to track endocytosis of EGFR in MDA-MB-468 breast adenocarcinoma cells using bioconjugated gold nanocages (AuNCs) and multiphoton microscopy. Dynamic imaging was performed using a time series capture of 4 images every minute for one hour. Specific binding and internalization of the bioconjugated AuNCs was observed while the two control groups showed non-specific binding at fewer surface sites, leading to fewer bound AuNCs and no internalization.

Date Published: 12 March 2015
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9339, Reporters, Markers, Dyes, Nanoparticles, and Molecular Probes for Biomedical Applications VII, 93390B (12 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2080152

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9339:
Reporters, Markers, Dyes, Nanoparticles, and Molecular Probes for Biomedical Applications VII
Samuel Achilefu; Ramesh Raghavachari, Editor(s)