Atomically precise gold nanoclusters for healthcare applications

The potential application of gold nanoparticles(GNPs)in biomedicine has been extensively reported.However,there is still too much puzzle about their real face and potential health risks in comparison with the commercial drug molecules.The emergence of atomically precise gold nanoclusters(APGNCs)provides the opportunity to address the puzzle due to their ultrasmall size,defined molecular formula,editable surface engineering,available structures and unique physicochemical properties including excellent biocompatibility,strong luminescence,enzyme-like activity and efficient renal clearance,et al.Recently,these advantages of APGNCs also endow them promising performances in healthcare such as bioimaging,drug delivery,antibacterial and cancer therapy.Especially,their clear composition and structures like the commercial drug molecules facilitate the study of their functions and the structure-activity relationship in healthcare,which is essential for the guided design of APGNC nanomedicine.Therefore,this review will focus the advantages and recent progress of APGNCs in health care and envision their prospects for the future.

Fabrication of High Color Rendering Index White Light Emitting Diodes from Gold Nanoclusters

We demonstrated gold nanoclusters as color tunable emissive light converters for the application of white light emitting diodes (WLEDs). A blue LED providing 460 nm to excite gold nanoclusters mixed with UV curable material generates broad bandwidth emission at the visible range. Increasing the amount of gold nanoclusters, the correlated color temperature of WLEDs tuned from cold white to warm white, and also results in the variation of color rendering index (CRI). The highest CRI in the experiment is 92.

Ratiometric Fluorescence Detection of 6-Mercaptopurine Based on the Nanohybrid of Fluorescence Carbon Dots and Gold Nanoclusters

The development of a simple and accurate quantitative method for the determination of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) is of great importance because of its serious side effects. Ratiometric fluorescence (RF) sensors are not subject to interference from environmental factors, and exhibit enhanced precision and accuracy. Therefore, a novel RF sensor for the selective detection of 6-MP was developed. The present work reports a sensitive and selective RF sensor for the detection of 6-mercaptopurine, by hybridizing carbon nanodots (CDots) and gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) capped with bovine serum albumin (BSA). The CDots serve as the reference signal and the AuNCs as the reporter. On addition of the 6-MP, AuNCs formed aggregates, because the existing cross-links within the AuNCs and BSA structure were broken in favour of the Au-S bonds, which can enhance the fluorescence of AuNCs, while the fluorescence of CDots is stable against 6-MP, leading to distinct ratiometric fluorescence changes when exposed to 6-MP. 6-MP could be detected in the range of 0 - 30.22 μM with a detection limit of 54 nM. The developed sensor was applied for the determination of 6-MP in human serum samples and satisfactory results were obtained.

Emerging NIR-Ⅱ Luminescent Gold Nanoclusters for In Vivo Bioimaging

Gold nanoclusters(AuNCs)with near-infraredⅡ(NIR-Ⅱ)photoluminescence(PL)have emerged as novel bioimaging probes for in vivo disease diagnosis.So far,it still lacks a systematic review focusing on the synthesis,PL tuning,and in vivo imaging of NIR-Ⅱluminescent AuNCs.In this review,we briefly introduce the synthesis of NIR-Ⅱluminescent AuNCs using various surface ligands.We discuss the origins and properties of NIR-ⅡPL in AuNCs,and summarize the strategies for improving and/or tuning NIR-ⅡPL emissions.We also provide an overview of the recent progress in the application of AuNCs in tumor-targeted imaging,molecular imaging,and other areas(such as the sensitive imaging of bones,vessels,lymph nodes,etc.).Finally,we present the prospects and challenges in the field of NIR-Ⅱluminescent AuNCs and related imaging applications,expecting to offer comprehensive understanding of this field,and thereby deepening and broadening the biological application of AuNCs.

The aromatic peptide protected gold nanoclusters with significant Stokes shift:Ligand-mediated two-step FRET

During the last decade,a great variety of ligand protected gold nanoclusters(AuNCs)have been synthesized,and their broad applications have been intensively reported.Although the spectroscopic properties of AuNCs have been comprehensively explored,the mechanism of the significant Stokes shift(>200 nm)and the specific role played by surface ligands have not been clearly explained yet.In this study,a series of fluorescent AuNCs with huge Stokes shift(up to 530 nm)were successfully prepared by employing the rationally designed tri-peptides as the protecting ligands,and their spectroscopic properties were systematically investigated.The detailed measurements on the example product,YCY-AuNCs(Tyr-Cys-Tyr liganded AuNCs),showed that the energy absorbed by the tyrosine(~250 nm)can be effectively transferred through the ligand-mediated two-step Förster resonance energy transfer(FRET)process and released as fluorescence emission in the near-infrared fluorescence(NIR)range(~780 nm),which resulted in the significant apparent Stokes shift.The YCY ligands play a critical role by offering the tyrosine groups(donor of the first FRET pair),generating the dityrosine-like structure on the AuNCs surface(acceptor of the first FRET pair and donor of the second FRET pair),and protecting the cores(acceptor of the second acceptor).The additional ligand exchange experiments and the investigation on the other AuNCs further demonstrated that the sufficient high density of the aromatic groups is also essential to mediate the two-step FRET and achieve the remarkable Stokes shift.We believe that the aromatic ligand-mediated FRET mechanism not only offers a new theoretical explanation for the huge Stokes shift exhibited in AuNCs,but also provides a general strategy for the construction of new materials with large Stokes shift.

Atomically precise thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters:Current status of designability of the structure and physicochemical properties

Thiolate(SR)-protected gold nanoclusters(Aun(SR)m NCs)are a rare type of material capable of simultaneously exhibiting multiple physicochemical properties well-suited to specific applications,including photoluminescence,thermocatalysis,electrocatalysis,photocatalysis,magnetism,and optical activity.Over the past several decades,there has been tremendous progress in our understanding of the structure and physicochemical properties of Aun(SR)m NCs,resulting in the ability to fine-tune the characteristics of these materials.It is therefore helpful to examine the extent to which the properties of Aun(SR)m and related metal NCs can now be adjusted based on design.This review presents representative examples of previous studies concerning the geometry,electronic structure,luminescence properties,catalysis,magnetism and optical activity of Aun(SR)m and related metal NCs and discusses the current status of the designability of these NCs to impart specific structural and physicochemical characteristics.This information is expected to accelerate the fabrication of highly functional materials based on Aun(SR)m and related metal NCs.

Peptidomimetic-liganded gold nanoclusters for controlled iron delivery and synergistic suppression of tumor growth

A novel peptidomimetic-liganded gold nanocluster(CDp-AuNC)is proposed for the synergistic suppression of tumor growth.Taking advantages of the multi-capabilities offered by the surface ligands,including iron chelation,glutathione peroxidases-1(GPx-1)binding,and tumor cells recognition,CDp-AuNCs are able to function as the nanocarriers to deliver iron in a controlled manner for the ferroptosis therapy and as the inhibitors for GPx-1 to induce the apoptosis of tumor cells.The Fe2+@CDp-AuNC nanocomplexes are fabricated through a facile self-assembly method.The experimental data verify that the nanocomplexes are internalized specifically by tumor cells with high efficiency.The acidic microenvironment in endosomes triggers the collapse of the nanocomplexes and thereby releases Fe2+to induce ferroptosis and CDp-AuNCs to inhibit the enzyme activity of GPx-1.Benefiting from the H_(2)O_(2)-depleted pathway inhibition and ferroptosis acceleration,the intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS)level could be enhanced significantly.As a consequence,the apoptosis/ferroptosis of 4T1 cells as well as the tumor elimination in vivo are observed after treatment with the Fe2+@CDp-AuNC nanocomplexes at a relatively low dose.The facile iron loading method,simple construction procedure,and outstanding tumor suppression performance,provide CDp-AuNCs great application promise.More importantly,the strategy of peptidomimetic ligands design provides a transferable approach to building multifunctional nanomaterials.

Atomically Precise Water-Soluble Gold Nanoclusters:Synthesis and Biomedical Application

Atomically precise water-soluble gold nanoclusters(Au NCs)protected by organic ligands have attracted growing attention in serving as unique nanomaterials with the potential to generate theranostic tools(bioimaging,biosensing,and biotherapy),due to their ultrasmall size,superior photoluminescence,good biocompatibility,and nontoxicity.More importantly,Au NCs afford a well-defined atomic packing structure and molecular purity,providing a superior platform to unravel the structure−performance correlations for biodistribution,biological pharmacokinetics,and excretion of Au NCs.In this Review,we mainly survey the synthesis of water-soluble Au NCs and the recent progress in biomedicine of Au NCs,including bioimaging,biosensing,and biotherapy.The effects of ligand and size on the biomedical properties are discussed in detail.We hope that the advances in this research area can expand the applications of Au NCs in biomedicine.

Transition metal-mediated catalytic properties of gold nanoclusters in aerobic alcohol oxidation

Heteroatom dopants can greatly modify the electronic and physical properties and catalytic performance of gold nanoclusters. In this study, we investigate the catalytic activity of [Au25-x（PET）18-xM]NH3 （PET = 2-phenylethanethiolate, and M = Cu, Co, Ni, and Zn） nanoclusters in aerobic alcohol oxidation. The [Au25-xPET）18-xM]NH3 nanoclusters are thoroughly characterized by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization （MALDI） mass spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry （ICP-MS）. The XPS analyses suggest that the transition metals strongly interact with the gold atoms of the nanoclusters. The CeO2-supported nanoclusters show catalytic activity, based on the conversion of benzyl alcohol, in the order, [Au25-x（PET）18-xNi] 〉 [Au25-x（PET）18-xCu] 〉 [Au25-x（PET）18-xZn] 〉 [Au25-x（PET）18-xCo]. Regarding product selectivity, the [Au25-xPET）18-xZn] and [Au25-x（PET）18-xCo] catalysts preferably yield benzaldehyde, [Au25-x（PET）18-xCu] yields benzaldehyde and benzyl acid, and [Au25-x（PET）18-xNi] yields benzyl acid. The exposed metal atoms are considered as the catalytic active sites. Also, the catalytic performance （including activity and selectivity） of the [Au25-x（PET）18-xM] catalysts is greatly turned and mediated by the transition metal type.

NIR-II light activated photodynamic therapy with proteincapped gold nanoclusters

The use of near-infrared （NIR） light for photodynamic therapy （PDT） is a promising strategy to circumvent the limitations of current PDT, in which visible light with limited tissue penetration depth is usually used. In the present stud~ alkyl thiolated gold nanoclusters （AuNCs） were co-modified with human serum albumin （HSA） and catalase （CAT）, and then employed as a multifunctional, optical, theranostic nano-agent. In the AuNC@HSA/CAT system, the AuNCs were able to produce singlet oxygen under excitation by a 1,064-nm laser, which locates in the second NIR window （NIR-II）, and featured much lower tissue absorption and scattering, enabling NIR-II-triggered PDT. The HSA coating greatly improved the physiological stability of the nanoparticles, which showed efficient tumor retention after intravenous injection, as revealed by detecting the AuNC fluorescence. Moreover, the presence of CAT in the nanoparticles triggered decomposition of tumor endogenous H202 to generate oxygen, thereby enhancing the efficacy of PDT by relieving tumor hypoxia. Compared with conventional PDT using visible light, NIR-II-triggered PDT exhibits remarkably increased tissue penetration. Thus, we developed a new type of photosensitizing nano-agent that simultaneously enables in vivo fluorescence imaging, tumor hypoxia relief, and NIR-II light-induced in vivo PDT in the treatment of cancer.

Metal–Organic Frameworks-Mediated Assembly of Gold Nanoclusters for Sensing Applications

Gold nanoclusters(AuNCs)are an emerging type of ultrasmall nanomaterials possessing unique physicochemical characteristics.Metal–organic frameworks(MOFs),a singular kind of porous solid and crystalline material,have attracted tremendous attention in recent years.The combination of AuNCs and MOFs can integrate and improve the prominent properties of both components,such as high catalytic activities,tunable optical properties,good biocompatibility,surface functionality and stability,which make the composites of MOFs and AuNCs promising for sensing applications.This review systematically summarizes the recent progress on the sensing of various analytes via MOFs-mediated AuNCs assemblies based on strategies of luminescence sensing,colorimetric sensing,electrochemiluminescence sensing,and electrochemical and photoelectrochemical sensing.A brief outlook regarding the future development of MOFs-mediated AuNCs assemblies for sensing application is presented as well.

The density of surface ligands regulates the luminescence of thiolated gold nanoclusters and their metal ion response

The fascinating luminescence properties of gold nanoclusters(AuNCs) have drawn considerable research interests,and been widely harnessed for a wide range of applications.However,a fundamental understanding towards ligand density’s role in the luminescence properties of these ultrasmall AuNCs remains unclear yet.In this communication,through systematic investigation of surface chemistries of glutathione-protected Au NCs(GSH-Au NCs) with diffe rent density of GSH as well as other thiolates,it is discovered that the density of surface ligands can significantly regulate the luminescence properties of AuNCs.Fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that AuNCs with a higher density of electron-rich ligands facilitate their luminescence generation.Moreover,differences in the surface coverage of AuNCs can also affect their interactions with foreign species,as illustrated by significantly different fluorescence quenching capability of GSH-AuNCs with different ligand density towards Hg^(2+).This study provides new insight into the intriguing luminescence properties of metal NCs,which is hoped to stimulate further research on the design of metal NCs with strong luminescence and sensitive/specific responses for promising optoelectronic,sensing and imaging applications.

Phase transferring luminescent gold nanoclusters via single-stranded DNA

Atomically precise gold nanoclusters(Au NCs) are an emerging class of quantum-sized nanomaterials with discrete electronic energy levels, which has led to a range of attractive electronic and optical applications. Nevertheless, the lack of general methods to transfer Au NCs protected with hydrophobic ligands to an aqueous solution hampers their use in physiological settings. Here,we developed a single-stranded DNA-based approach that could transfer ~90% hydrophobic Au NCs into an aqueous solution.We experimentally and theoretically established that multivalent electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between DNA strands and the hydrophobic ligand layer on Au NCs resulted in monodispersed DNA-coated Au NCs with high physical integrity in an aqueous solution. The fluorescence quantum yield of Au NCs was increased by ~13 fold, and surface-constrained DNA retained the specific recognition ability for biosensing. We further demonstrated the versatility of this phase-transfer approach, which thus holds great potential to advance biological and medical applications of Au NCs.

Self-quenched gold nanoclusters for turn-on fluorescence imaging of intracellular glutathione

Activatable fluorescence nanoprobes with only one kind of nanomaterial that can act as both the energy donor and acceptor simultaneously are scarce, but highly desirable for biosensing and bioimaging. In the present study, we reveal the preparation of self-quenched gold nanoclusters as a simple fluorescent turn-on probe for imaging intraceUular glutathione. The self-quenched gold nanoclusters are prepared via disulfide bond-induced aggregation of gold nanodusters. Compared with monodisperse gold nanoclusters, the developed self-quenched gold nanoclusters exhibit weak emission at 735 nm with a 40-nm red shift and much lower quantum yield （0.69%）. The prepared self-quenched gold nanodusters also possess good sensitivity and selectivity for glutathione detection, and are applicable for fluorescent turn-on imaging of intracellular glutathione.

Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters:Promising Fluorescent Probes for Sensors and Bioimaging

Fluorescent gold nanoclusters(AuNCs)have recently emerged as a novel kind of promising fluorescent probes for high-performance sensors and bioimaging because of their ultrasmall size(\3 nm),strong luminescence,good photostability,and excellent biocompatibility.Over the past decade,we have witnessed growing popularity of AuNCs in analytical applications and enormous efforts have been devoted to their development.In this review,we provide an update on recent advances in the development of AuNCs in terms of physicochemical properties,synthesis strategies,and bioapplications.The optical,electrochemical,catalytical,and solvatochromic properties of AuNCs are first summarized,which are followed by different ligands or template-assisted controllable synthetic methods.Afterwards functionalization of AuNCs is described in terms of ligand exchange,bioconjugation,and noncovalent interaction.We then focus on the applications of AuNCs as fluorescent probes for detection of metal ions,inorganic anions,small biomolecules,proteins,nucleic acids,drug molecules,pH,and temperature.We also summarize the usage of metal NCs in cellular and in vivo targeting and imaging.Finally,we conclude with a brief look at the future challenges and prospects of the development of AuNCs.

Overcoming bacterial physical defenses with molecule-like ultrasmall antimicrobial gold nanoclusters

The size of metal nanoparticles(NPs)is crucial in their biomedical applications.Although abundant studies on the size effects of metal NPs in the range of 2-100 nm have been conducted,the exploration of the ultrasmall metal nanoclusters(NCs)of~1 nm in size with unique features is quite limited.We synthesize three different sized gold(Au)NCs of different Au atom numbers and two bigger sized Au NPs protected by the same ligand to study the size influence on antimicrobial efficacy.The ultrasmall Au NCs can easily traverse the cell wall pores to be internalized inside bacteria,inducing reactive oxygen species generation to oxidize bacterial membrane and disturb bacterial metabolism.This explains why the Au NCs are antimicrobial while the Au NPs are non-antimicrobial,suggesting the key role of size in antimicrobial ability.Moreover,in contrast to the widely known size-dependent antimicrobial properties,the Au NCs of different atom numbers demonstrate molecule-like instead of size-dependent antimicrobial behavior with comparable effectiveness,indicating the unique molecule-like feature of ultrasmall Au NCs.Overcoming the bacterial defenses at the wall with ultrasmall Au NCs changes what was previously believed to harmless to the bacteria instead to a highly potent agent against the bacteria.

Ovalbumin-stabilized gold nanoclusters with ascorbic acid as reducing agent for detection of serum copper

Ovalbumin-stabilized gold nanoclusters （OVA@AuNCs） were prepared with ascorbic acid as a reducing agent. This strategy could realize the synthesis of water-soluble OVA@AuNCs within 20 min. The asprepared fluorescent probe showed a red fluorescence emission at 630 nm. Moreover, the properties of the OVA@AuNCs were characterized by transmission electron microscope, dynamic light scattering, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, fluorescent spectroscopy. Based on the surface electron density decrease-induced fluorescence quenching mechanism, the OVA@AuNCs provided high sensitivity and selectivity for sensing copper ions. A good linear relationship was obtained between the fluorescence intensity of OVA@AuNCs and the concentration of copper ions in the range of 5.0-100.0pumol/L （R2z0.999） with a detection limit of 640 nmol/L. Furthermore, the rat serum copper contents were determined by using the OVA@AuNCs based assay, indicating great potential of fluorescent probes for application in biological and clinical analysis.

11-Mercaptoundecanoic acid functionalized gold nanoclusters as fluorescent probes for the sensitive detection of Cu^(2＋) and Fe^(3＋) ions

Metal ions are physiologically essential,but excessive metal ions may cause severe risk to plants and animals.Here,we prepared gold nanoclusters（Au NCs） protected by 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid（11-MUA）,which have excellent fluorescence properties for the detection of metal ions.The results showed that the copper ions（Cu^（2＋）） and iron ions（Fe^（3＋）） in the solution have obvious quenching effect on the fluorescence intensity of Au NCs.The detection range of Fe^（3＋） was 0.8-4.5 mmol/L（R^2= 0.992） and 4.5-11.0 mmol/L（R^2= 0.997）.And Cu^（2＋） has a lower linear range（0.1-1.0 mmol/L,R2= 0.993）.When EDTA was added into the reaction system,it was observed that the quenching effect of Cu^（2＋） and Fe^（3＋）on Au NCs showed different phenomenon.Then,the effect of metal ions on the fluorescence of Au NCs was investigated.The selective detection of Cu（2＋） was achieved by EDTA masking of Fe^（3＋）.In addition,we realized the metal ions detection application of Au NCs in the serum

In situ synthesis of red fluorescent gold nanoclusters with enzyme-like activity for oxidative stress amplification in chemodynamic therapy

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) has attracted tremendous interest in cancer therapy because it is independent of oxygen and photoirradiation. However, the therapeutic efficacy of CDT is restricted by insufficient H_(2)O_(2) levels in tumor cells. Herein, employing endogenous GSH as a template and cationic polymeric chitosan (CS) as crosslinker and stabilizer exhibiting easy cell uptake, red luminescent gold nanoclusters (denoted CS-GSH@AuNCs) were successfully synthesized in HeLa cells. The in situ synthesized CS-GSH@AuNCs exhibited both superoxidase dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD)-like activity, which could promote the production of H_(2)O_(2) from superoxide anion radicals (O_(2)^(·-)) and then ^(·)OH. The combination of GSH elimination and H_(2)O_(2) elevation boosted the generation of ^(·)OH, which could trigger cancer cell apoptosis and death. The enzyme-like activity of CS-GSH@AuNCs could be effectively activated under acidic conditions, and showed a high killing effect on tumor cells but minimal toxicity to normal cells. The developed GSH consumption and ^(·)OH promotion theranostic platform is an innovative route for enhanced CDT by the amplification of oxidative stress.

Gold nanoclusters conjugated berberine reduce inflammation and alleviate neuronal apoptosis by mediating M2 polarization for spinal cord injury repair

Spinal cord injury(SCI)leads to nerve cell apoptosis and loss of motor function.Herein,excessive activation of the M1 phenotype macrophages/microglia is found to be the main reason for the poor prognosis of SCI,but the selective activation phenotype(M2)macrophages/microglia facilitates the recovery of SCI.Thereafter,we used gold nanoclusters loaded berberine(BRB-AuNCs)to reduce inflammation by inhibiting the activation of M1 phenotype macrophages/microglia,which simultaneously inhibited neuronal apoptosis after SCI.In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that BRB-AuNCs reduced M1 protein marker CD86,increased M2 protein marker CD206,reduced inflammation and apoptotic cytokines(IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,Cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax).These results indicate that BRB-AuNCs have excellent anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects by inducing the polarization of macrophages/microglia from M1 phenotype to M2 phenotype.Thereafter,the motor functions of SCI rats were significantly improved after treatment with BRB-AuNCs.This work not only provides a new way for the treatment of SCI but also broadens BRB utilization strategies.