Lanthanide-containing polymer nanoparticles for biological tagging applications: Nonspecific endocytosis and cell adhesion

Abstract

We describe the synthesis and characterization of element-encoded polystyrene nanoparticles with diameters on the order of 100 nm and a narrow size distribution. Individual particles contain ca. 103 chelated lanthanide ions, of either a single element or a mixture of elements. These particles were effectively internalized by nonspecific endocytosis into three cell lines associated with human leukemia. Using an assay based upon ICP-MS detection, we could monitor quantitatively cell adhesion induced by cell differentiation of THP-1 cells in response to phorbol ester stimulation (PMA) in single cell type or mixed cultures. © 2007 American Chemical Society.