PCMM Nanomaterials as Multifunctional Bioprobes Studied in Animal Model of C. elegans

Multifunctional nanomaterials which are active in the near infrared (NIR) region and can be physically guided (laser light, magnetic field, ultrasound, etc.) hold a great promise in several biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, cell biology, biosensing, and bioimaging. In this study, we have developed multifunctional photoluminescence coding magnetic microspheres (PCMMs), studied their physical and chemical properties, and explored the possibility of using PCMMs in living biological organisms. To reach this goal, we investigated the possibility of PCMM imaging in the C. elegance animal model. We performed extensive toxicity screening of 10 types of luminescent magnetic microspheres (LMMs) and 5 types of carbon dots (CDs), which were embedded into LMM. We also explored the delivery and localization of tested nanoparticles inside the nematode body. It was found that the particles we studied are not toxic to living C. elegance tissue in the optimized concentration range and tend to extend the lifespan of nematodes. Fluorescent microscopy studies revealed the localization of CDs and LMMs in the intestinal part of the nematode body. Our results demonstrated the possibility of detecting photoluminescent PCMM magnetic microspheres in living organisms, implying the potential of PCMM for the development of this nanoscale drug delivery system for future human studies.