Fluorescence enhancement of fluorophores in live cells using metallic nanoparticles

Marco Locarno, Qiangrui Dong, Xin Meng, Cristiano Glessi, Daan Brinks

Abstract: <p>Plasmonic enhancement of fluorescence has been challenging in in vivo imaging applications. We present a study demonstrating the plasmonic enhancement of fluorescent membrane proteins within their native physiological environment using tailored metallic nanoparticles. This work highlights two schemes to influence the distance between the emitting dipoles and the enhancing nanoparticles, namely the addition of nanoparticles in the buffer solution and the incorporation in the polymer matrix at the bottom of the cells. Incorporating biological structures native to the cellular environment offers opportunities for the optimization of in vivo fluorescence imaging methods and the detection of membrane proteins.</p>

External IDs:doi:10.1117/12.3017177