Biology Up-converting Fluoride Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

Labeling with fluorescent markers is a technique widely used in medical practice and biomedical research. Need to develop new types of markers more sensitive, ease to use, less destructive and less expensive is becoming more acute. Lately, phosphate-based biomarkers with up-conversion (infrared excitation and visible emission) have attracted attention, due to advantages it presents in relation to classical markers (excited with ultraviolet radiation): avoid tissue degradation, lack or low autofluorescence, deep tissue penetration of excitation radiation, low toxicity and long stability of markers. In this paper we report methods of synthesis, characterization, coating and biocompatibilization of up-converting fluoride nanoparticles. In order to test biomedical applicability we performed experimental studies of cell application and cell imaging with these up-converting nanoparticles. Our conclusion is that fluoride nanoparticles doped with lanthanide ions have promising application like biolabels in biomedicine.