Lipoprotein nanoplatelets: fluorescent, zwitterionic probes for molecular and cellular imaging
View Patent ↗Compositions are provided comprising water-stable semi-conductor nanoplatelets encapsulated in a hydrophilic coating further comprising lipids and lipoproteins. Uses include biomolecular imaging and sensing, and methods of making comprise: colloidal synthesis of CdSe core NPLs; layer-by-layer growth of a CdS shell; and encapsulation of CdSe/CdScore/shell NPLs in lipid and lipoprotein components through an evaporation-encapsulation using zwitterionic phospholipids, detergents, and amphipathic membrane scaffold proteins.
1. A method for making a lipoprotein nanoplatelet (NPL) composition comprising:
colloidal synthesis of NPL semiconductor cores;
layer-by-layer growth of NPL semiconductor shells; and
encapsulation of core/shell NPLs in lipid hydrophilic coating components through an evaporation-encapsulation using zwitterionic phospholipids, detergents, and amphipathic lipoproteins,
wherein the hydrophilic coating components comprise phospholipids and lipoproteins,
wherein the phospholipid is selected from 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and the lipoprotein is the membrane scaffold protein MSP1E3D1,
wherein the phospholipids DMPC or (POPC) are dispersed in CHCl 3 and added in a 10,000:1 phospholipid:nanoplatelet molar ratio,
and wherein the MSP1E3D1 is added in a 100:1 MSP1E3D1:nanoplatelet molar ratio.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the nanoplatelets are colloidally dispersed in an aqueous solution.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the hydrophilic coating is a monolayer coating.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cores and shells comprise a semiconductor material selected from groups II-VI, III-V, IV-VI, I-III-VI 2 , and IV, and their alloys.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the nanoplatelets comprise a CdSe core.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the nanoplatelets comprise a CdS shell.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the nanoplatelets are in the general shape of a rectangular cuboid.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the nanoplatelets have a thickness from about 1 nm to about 7 nm, a length from about 5 nm to about 1000 nm, and a width of from about 5 nm to about 1000.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the nanoplatelets have a thickness from about 1 nm to about 7 nm, a length from about 10 nm to about 500 nm, and a width of from about 10 nm to about 200.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the nanoplatelets have a thickness from about 1.2 nm to about 2.8 nm, a length from about 5 nm to about 700 nm, and a width of from about 5 nm to about 700.
11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the nanoplatelets have a thickness of about 3 nm, a length of about 37 nm, and a width of about 10 nm.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanoplatelets are in the general shape of a rectangular cuboid,
wherein the nanoplatelets have a thickness of about 3 nm, a length of about 37 nm, and a width of about 10 nm have,
are dimensioned to have two opposing parallel planar surfaces defined as a top surface and a bottom surface, and two pairs of opposing planar surfaces defining the edge surface of the cuboid,
wherein the top and bottom surfaces are coated with a monolayer of about 1000 phospholipid molecules and the edge surface is coated with a monolayer of about 400 phospholipid molecules, and about 8 lipoproteins.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the phospholipids cover the the top and bottom surfaces and the lipoproteins are adsorbed to the edges of the nanoplatelets.