Highly Water-Soluble Luminescent Silica-Coated Cerium Fluoride Nanoparticles Synthesis, Characterizations, and In Vitro Evaluation of Possible Cytotoxicity

Abstract

A coprecipitation process was utilized for the preparation of terbium fluoride nanocrystals by cerium fluoride. Silica was used to modify the surface of these core/shell nanocrystals. The synthesized CeF 3 :Tb@LaF 3 and CeF 3 :Tb@LaF 3 @SiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV/vis spectrophotometry, and photoluminescence spectrophotometry. XRD patterns showed resolved reflection planes with broad widths, confirming the nanocrystalline nature of the CeF 3 :Tb@LaF 3 @SiO 2 NPs. Fourier transform infrared spectra clearly revealed a uniform, smooth silica layer encapsulating the luminescent seed core and confirmed the polycrystalline nature of the CeF 3 :Tb@LaF 3 @SiO 2 NPs. The TEM result showed an average crystalline size of 18 nm, which illustrated good agreement with the XRD results. The results of photoluminescence spectrophotometry confirmed the doping of terbium ions in the CeF 3 crystal lattice. The cytotoxicity results of the MTT assay showed that CeF 3 :Tb@LaF 3 @SiO 2 NPs have minimum toxicity with respect to CeF 3 :Tb@LaF 3 NPs and the control drug dasatinib on HT-29 and HepG2 cell lines. Moreover, results of inverted microscopy confirmed the nontoxic and biocompatible nature of CeF 3 :Tb@LaF 3 @SiO 2 NPs. These findings show that CeF 3 :Tb@LaF 3 @SiO 2 NPs are promising candidates for applications in biomedical science in the future, such as bioimaging, biolabeling, biodetection or bio-probing, labeling of cells and tissue, drug delivery, cancer therapy, and multiplexed analysis.

Synthesis of redox-active Ce0.75Bi0.15Tb0.1F3 nanoparticles and their biocompatibility study in vitro

“…For instance, doping of CeF 3 crystal lattice with Yb and Tm ions allows for the formation of theranostic luminescent systems with enhanced upconversion (CeF 3 :Yb, Tm@SiO 2 -CD36/OPN) [18]. Wang et al synthesized biocompatible CeF 3 :Tb@LaF 3 NPs with pronounced luminescent properties [19], which could be used for bioimaging, biolabeling, biodetection and bioprobing. Ce x La 1−x F 3 NPs have been proposed for the use in nanoscintillator-photosensitizer systems, in which excitation of nanoparticles by ionizing irradiation leads to energy transfer to photosensitizer molecules, effectively combining the effects of radiation and photodynamic therapy [20].…”

β‐Cyclodextrin‐Modified Cobalt Nanoparticles as 5‐Fluorouracil Carriers

“…[16] To overcome the side effects and achieve precision in drug dissemination, various types of nanomaterials have been examined as DDS, including metals, oxides, sulfides, fluorides, chalcogenides, polymers, and lipids in nanoparticulate forms. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23] . Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) are an intriguing choice of drug delivery vehicles and possess various advantages.…”

“…Various cancer‐curing chemotherapy drugs can lead to complications such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and blood clotting [16] . To overcome the side effects and achieve precision in drug dissemination, various types of nanomaterials have been examined as DDS, including metals, oxides, sulfides, fluorides, chalcogenides, polymers, and lipids in nanoparticulate forms [17–23] …”

Redox-Active Cerium Fluoride Nanoparticles Selectively Modulate Cellular Response against X-ray Irradiation In Vitro

“…Lanthanum (III) fluoride shells provided a barrier for transfer of energy resulting in significant decrease in energy loss from the surface centers of luminescence. Consequently, the luminescence lifetime and intensity of modified nanoparticles have significantly increased [26]. The luminescent and magnetic properties of lanthanide nanoparticles may be of fundamental importance in the development of multifunctional nanomaterials, allowing for them to be used in MRI and other luminescence methods [27,28].…”