Purpose: The present work aimed to synthesize organic and inorganic quantum dots (QDs) and discuss their bioconjugation strategies. Design/methodology/approach: We have prepared 3 different QDs, organic (Carbon [CQDs]) and inorganic (Cadmium Sulphide [CdS] and Zinc Mercury Selenide [ZnHgSe]) quantum dots (QDs) and bioconjugation through in-situ and ex-situ route. These QDs have been characterized through UV-Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra. Their surface functional groups have been identified through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The bioconjugated quantum dots were tested through PL emission shift, Agarose electrophoresis, and Bradford assay technique. Findings: Successful synthesized QDs, and their bioconjugation has been confirmed through the previously listed characterization techniques. There are distinct differences in their emission peak, FTIR spectroscopy, and Bradford assay, which confirms their successful bioconjugation. Research limitations/implications: These bioconjugated QDs are difficult to filter from their unconjugated counterpart. Bioconjugation steps are extremely crucial. Practical implications: These QDs could be utilized for highly effective biolabelling and bioimaging in-vivo as well as in-vitro applications. Originality/value: The synthesis has been majorly modified, and the bioconjugation has been prepared in a novel method. There is limited reported work with this much description of the differences in conjugated and unconjugated QDs.
Purpose: Nucleolin is a multifactorial protein, having a significant role in chromatin remodelling, mRNA stability, ribosome biogenesis, stemness, angiogenesis, etc., thus, it is potential therapeutic target in cancer. The purpose of this paper is to study porous silicon (pSi) nanocarrier-based natural drug delivery system targeting dysregulated nucleolin expression for cancer therapeutics. Design/methodology/approach: Quercetin was loaded in pre-synthesized and characterized pSi nanoparticles, and release kinetics was studied. The study compared the inhibitory concentration (IC50) of quercetin, synthetic drug doxorubicin, and quercetin-loaded pSi nanoparticles. Further, mRNA expression of a target gene, nucleolin, was tested with a quercetin treated breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Findings: Quercetin-loaded pSi nanoparticles followed first-order release kinetics. IC50 was determined at concentrations of 312 nM, 160 μM, and 50 μM against doxorubicin, quercetin, and quercetin-loaded pSi nanoparticles, respectively. The results further indicated 16-fold downregulation of nucleolin mRNA expression after 48h of quercetin treatment of exponentially growing MCF-7 cells. Research limitations/implications: Whether pSi nanoparticle loaded quercetin can significantly downregulate nucleolin protein expression and its impact on apoptosis, cell proliferation, and angiogenic pathways need further investigation. Practical implications: The practical application of the proposed nanocarrier-based drug delivery system potentially lays out a path for developing targeted therapy against nucleolin-dysregulated cancer using natural products to minimize the side effects of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. Originality/value: Inhibition of nucleolin and nucleolin regulated pathways using natural compounds and its targeted delivery with nanocarrier is not yet done.
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