Preparation of self-assembled core-shell nano structure of conjugated generation 4.5 poly (amidoamine) dendrimer and monoclonal Anti-IL-6 antibody as bioimaging probe.

In this article, interleukin-6 (IL-6)-conjugated anionic generation 4.5 (G4.5) poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) was synthesized through EDC/NHS coupling chemistry and evaluated for its optical properties in vitro. Conjugation was confirmed using Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and 2-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR). After IL-6 conjugation, nanoparticle size increased to approximately 70 nm and zeta potential increased from -56.5 ± 0.2 to -19.1 ± 2.4 mV due to neutralization of negatively charged G4.5. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) suggested that a layered nanoparticle structure was formed by the G4.5/IL-6 conjugate. Most interestingly, the intrinsic fluorescence of G4.5 significantly increased after IL-6 conjugation and underwent a blue shift as a result of H-aggregation. Furthermore, the cellular uptake of the conjugates by HeLa cells was significantly enhanced in comparison to free G4.5, as demonstrated by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. These results indicated that the described system may be a potential bioimaging probe in vitro.