Gelatin-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs-gelatin) with hydrophilic and biocompatible were prepared with a simple and "green" route by reducing in situ tetrachloroauric acid in gelatin. The nanoparticles showed the excellent colloidal stability. UV-vis spectra, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy revealed the formation of well-dispersed AuNPs with different sizes. By combination of the biocompatibility of AuNPs and excellent conductivity of carboxylic single-walled carbon nanotubes (c-SWNTs), a novel nanocomposite was designed for the immobilization and cytosensing of HL-60 cells at electrodes. The immobilized cells showed sensitive voltammetric response, good activity, and increased electron-transfer resistance. It can be used as a highly sensitive impedance sensor for HL-60 cells ranging from 1 x 10(4) to 1 x 10(7) cell mL(-1) with a limit of detection of 5 x 10(3) cell mL(-1). Moreover, the nanocomposite could effectively facilitate the interaction of adriamycin (ADR) with HL-60 cells and remarkably enhance the permeation and drug uptake of anticancer agents in the cancer cells, which could readily lead to the induction of the cell death of leukemia cells.

A facile method is developed for the preparation of high-quality, water-soluble, and near-infrared (NIR)-emitting CdSeTe alloyed quantum dots (AQdots) with L-cysteine as the capping agent. By changing the size and the composition of AQdots the photoluminescent quantum yield (QY) can reach as high as 53% and the emission color can be tuned between visible and NIR regions (580-814 nm). Furthermore, the prepared NIR-emitting AQdots have been successfully applied for HL-60 cell imaging and glucose and cholesterol assay, which demonstrates the great potential of the AQdots for biological applications.

This technical note describes a facile technique to screen some anticancer drugs and evaluate their effects on nonadhesive leukemic cells in an easily fabricated microfluidic device by utilizing the Annexin V conjugated quantum dots as apoptosis detection probes. The cell immobilizing structures and gradient-generating channels were integrated within the device which was fabricated in one-single step. The nonadhesive leukemic HL-60 cells can be felicitously immobilized and cultured on the dam structures at a proper lateral pressure. We then delivered Annexin V functionalized quantum dots which can readily bind to the outer membrane of apoptotic cells and distinguish the apoptosis from unaffected cells with single cell level resolution. The diffusion time of quantum dots reduced to 5 min before imaging. The capabilities of evaluating drug effect on HL-60 cell line have been shown in both population way and individual cell level. The technique presented herein can bridge the gap between the quantum dots based in vitro cell imaging and the analysis of individual apoptotic cell in a microfluidic system, allows an easy operating protocol to screen some clinically available anticancer drugs.

A series of MCM‐41s with a high copper content were synthesized at room temperature from sodium metasilicate (Na2SiO3) as the silicon source, tetraamminecopper(II) nitrate [Cu(NH3)4(NO3)2] as the copper source and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr) as the template. The resulting material was characterized by using the following characterization techniques: X‐ray diffraction (XRD), N2‐adsorption isotherms, high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), temperature‐programmed reduction (H2‐TPR), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV‐vis spectroscopy, electron‐spin resonance (ESR) and 29Si magic‐angle sample spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) spectroscopy. The characterization techniques demonstrated the following: i) the copper atoms are incorporated into the framework of MCM‐41 and ii) the copper species in the samples are in a distorted octahedral coordination environment, with between four and six oxygen atoms in the first coordination sphere. The maximum copper content determined by ICP was 26 wt.‐% in the ordered mesoporous sample with a surface area of 525 m2 g–1 and an average pore diameter of 3.1 nm. The synthesized materials exhibited a high activity for nitrogen monoxide (NO) reduction by carbon monoxide (CO).

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