Stability, dissolution, and cytotoxicity of NaYF 4 -upconversion nanoparticles with different coatings

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their unique photophysical properties. Their utilization in biomedical applications depends on the understanding of their transformations under physiological conditions and their potential toxicity. In this study, NaYF...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 3770
Main Authors Bastos, Verónica, Oskoei, Párástu, Andresen, Elina, Saleh, Maysoon I, Rühle, Bastian, Resch-Genger, Ute, Oliveira, Helena
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 08.03.2022
Subjects
Excipients
Fluorides - chemistry
Humans
Ligands
Nanoparticles - chemistry
Silicon Dioxide
Solubility
Yttrium - chemistry
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Summary:Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their unique photophysical properties. Their utilization in biomedical applications depends on the understanding of their transformations under physiological conditions and their potential toxicity. In this study, NaYF :Yb,Er UCNPs, widely used for luminescence and photophysical studies, were modified with a set of four different coordinatively bound surface ligands, i.e., citrate, alendronate (AA), ethylendiamine tetra(methylene phosphonate) (EDTMP), and poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMAO), as well as silica coatings with two different thicknesses. Subsequently, the aging-induced release of fluoride ions in water and cell culture media and their cytotoxic profile to human keratinocytes were assessed in parallel to the cytotoxic evaluation of the ligands, sodium fluoride and the lanthanide ions. The cytotoxicity studies of UCNPs with different surface modifications demonstrated the good biocompatibility of EDTMP-UCNPs and PMAO-UCNPs, which is in line with the low amount of fluoride ions released from these samples. An efficient prevention of UCNP dissolution and release of cytotoxic ions, as well as low cytotoxicity was also observed for UCNPs with a sufficiently thick silica shell. Overall, our results provide new insights into the understanding of the contribution of surface chemistry to the stability, dissolution behavior, and cytotoxicity of UCNPs. Altogether, the results obtained are highly important for future applications of UCNPs in the life sciences and bioimaging studies.
ISSN:2045-2322