We report here our investigations into new organic and inorganic molecules with anticancer properties which can simultaneously self-assemble onto the surface of carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoflakes giving donor-acceptor complexes, held together by aromatic interactions which are maintained in aqueous media. We are particularly focusing on the design and in vitro imaging of new molecules in the family of naphthalene diimides (NDI) modiffied with targetting peptides such as bombesin and cRGD. Additionally, the carbon nanotubes acting as substrates can be doped with long lived metallic radionuclides. The resulting nanohybrids denoted NDI@SWNTs were explored as promissing probes for multimodality imaging methods (Positron Emission Tomography coupled with optical imaging in the nearIR). We carried out extensive in vitro confocal fluorescence imaging to verify the nuclear uptake and perinuclear (nominally in the endoplasmic reticulum or golgi bodies) localisation of new NDI@SWNTs nanohybrids. Two photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) demonstrated that these supramolecular aggregates are likely to be taken up in cells as intact objects without the loss of the supramolecular coating en route to cells. The intracellular speciation observations of hybrid nanomaterials by FLIM mapping in vitro were based upon the relative emission lifetimes of each of the species (free NDI and NDI@SWNT).  Longer term this multiphoton imaging approach can allow us to monitor the uptake and /or decomposition pathways of complex nanomaterials in cells (cancerous and non-cancerous) and elucidate their intracellular distribution which can speed up drug design and biological screening of future nanotheranostics in general.

Donor-acceptor interactions between carbon nanomaterials and biocompatible fluorophors: New hybrid materials and their cellular bioimaging

244th National Meeting (2012)

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