Positively Charged Polystyrene-co-Poly (ar-vinylbenzyl) Trimethylammonium Nanoparticles as Bioprobe for Various Cell Imaging Based on Aggregation Induced Emission

Abstract

In this study, positively charged polystyrene-co-poly (ar-vinylbenzyl) trimethylammonium nanoparticles loading with Aggregation Induced Emission (AIE) fluorescent molecule sulfonated 9,10-distyrylanthracene derivatives (SDSA) by coulomb force denoted as SDSA/PS-co-PVBTAC have been prepared. The size, size distribution and morphology of nanoparticles have been tested by Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The synthesized nanoparticles possess uniform size, good monodispersity and low biological toxicity. The AIE-type SDSA/PS-co-PVBTAC showed good fluorescence stability at pH from 3 to 10. It has been proved that the biological macromolecules including Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), DNA and RNA can amplify the cell imaging signals. Moreover, the AIE-type nanoparticles have been shown to perform fluorescent imaging of various cells. It suggests that the prepared SDSA/PS-co-PVBTAC can be used as a new biological probe in the field of cell imaging and detection, as well as expanding the application of AIE fluorescent molecules in biosensing field.