Creation and biological evaluation of nanoparticle-based artificial transcription factor

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Silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) capable of in vitro and in vivo imaging could dissect cellular function at the molecular level and have been advancing as a potent diagnostic tool in precision medicine. While numerous reports focus on evaluating the staining capacity of silica quantum dots, their nano-bio interaction, which is critical for assessing their biocompatibility, is often overlooked. We developed water-borne, NIR-emitting Pluronic F127-covered SiQDs micelles capable of live cell imaging with minimal cytotoxicity. The PLQY of the SiQDs/F127 micelles in water was 25% at pH 7. SiQD-De/F127 micelles demonstrated significant in vitro imaging capacity and limited cytotoxicity in the HeLa and human dermal fibroblasts. Furthermore, the SiQD-De/F127 micelles displayed excellent in vivo imaging capacity without requiring vectors and transfection agents when incubated with medaka fish eggs and larvae. It is important to note here that even at higher concentrations (1 mg mL－1), the normal embryonic development of medaka fish was not altered as the larvae hatched on day 17 from the micelles-treated egg as that of the control without any signs of toxicity. Therefore, SiQDs-De/F127 micelles are SiQDs expected to have excellent biocompatibility for in vivo imaging studies.