Facile preparation of water dispersible red fluorescent organic nanoparticles and their cell imaging applications

Red fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) based on a cyano-substituted diarylethylene and tetraphenylethene derivative conjugated molecule (R-TPE) were facilely prepared via surfactant modification with lecithin for the first time. The obtained R-TPE-LEC FONs were characterized by a series of techniques including fluorescence and UV spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Biocompatibility evaluation and cell uptake behavior of R-TPE-LEC FONs were further investigated to explore their potential biomedical application. We demonstrated that such red FONs exhibit anti-aggregation-caused quenching property, broad excitation wavelength, high water dispersibility, uniform morphology (40-60 nm), and excellent biocompatibility, making them promising for cell imaging application.

Graphical abstractDownload full-size imageWater soluble and biocompatible red fluorescent organic nanoparticles (R-TPE-LEC) were facilely prepared via surfactant modification with lecithin and were subsequently utilized for cell imaging applications.