Multifunctional nanoprobe for biological applications based on surface enhanced Raman scattering

摘要

Optical probes are now routinely used in a remarkable number of imaging applications in the life sciences and medicine. We report the design, synthesis and characterization of a novel nanoprobe for biological applications based on surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Specifically, the nanoprobe consists of magnetic Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles immobilized with silver nanoparticles and SERS tags. An efficient cellular uptake has been confirmed with confocal laser scanning microscopy. The nanoprobe retains its excellent SERS signals when incorporated into a cell. Besides, the probe also delivers spatially localized chemical information from its biological environments. The multi-functional probe is likely to be useful to develop new tools for targeted molecular probing of cells and provide a new way to monitor the complex changes at cellular level.