Polyelectrolyte carbon quantum-dots: new player as a noninvasive imaging probe in Drosophila

Abstract

It is since long that X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging is being used for biomedical diagnosis. But till date noninvasive soft tissue imaging is not very well established. Towards this end the dietary uptake of polyelectrolyte carbon quantum dots (PECQDs) and their uses as a fluorescent probe is a new approach for imaging live specimens. In the present study we demonstrate that polyelectrolyte carbon quantum dots, which are nontoxic and have fluorescence properties can be used for in vivo imaging of internal organs. Carbon quantum dots surface were abound in polymer of free carboxyl groups making it water soluble. Our used PECQDs are less than equal to 50 nm sized and are capable to emit multi colour fluorescence. It is synthesized from waste plant materials like shaded leaves, unused shrubs, herbs etc. An exposure of 1 ppm level of soluble carbon quantum dots for 12 hours in drosophila permitted the fluorescence microscopy imaging of the different stages of their development and their non invasive internal organs without any remarkable toxic effects. Finally the fluorescent material was found to be excreted out of the animals. The current data suggests that visualization of internal organs with a fluorescent probe in live cells could help in determining the efficacy of therapeutic treatments directly without the need of any invasive procedures.