Quantum dot-sized organic fluorescent dots for long-term cell tracing

Fluorescence techniques have been extensively employed to develop non-invasive methodologies for tracking and understanding complex biological processes both in vitro and in vivo, which is of high importance in modern life science research. Among a variety of fluorescent probes, inorganic semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have shown advantages in terms of better photostability, larger Stokes shift and more feasible surface functionalization. However, their intrinsic toxic heavy metal components and unstable fluorescence at low pH greatly impede the applications of QDs in in vivo studies. In this work, we developed novel fluorescent probes that can outperform currently available QD based probes in practice. Using conjugated oligomer with aggregation-induced emission characteristics as the fluorescent domain and biocompatible lipid-PEG derivatives as the encapsulation matrix, the obtained organic dots have shown higher brightness, better stability in biological medium and comparable size and photostability as compared to their counterparts of inorganic QDs. More importantly, unlike QD-based probes, the organic fluorescent dots do not blink, and also do not contain heavy metal ions that could be potentially toxic when applied for living biosubstrates. Upon surface functionalization with a cell-penetrating peptide, the organic dots greatly outperform inorganic quantum dots in both in vitro and in vivo long-term cell tracing studies, which will be beneficial to answer crucial questions in stem cell/immune cell therapies. Considering the customized fluorescent properties and surface functionalities of the organic dots, a series of biocompatible organic dots will be developed to serve as a promising platform for multifarious bioimaging tasks in future.