Polymeric pH nanosensor with extended measurement range bearing octaarginine as cell penetrating peptide.

A synthetic peptide octaarginine which mimics human immunodeficiency virus-1, Tat protein is used as cell penetrating moiety for new pH nanosensors which demonstrate enhanced cellular uptake and expanded measurement range from pH 3.9 to pH 7.3 by simultaneously incorporating two complemental pH-sensitive fluorophores in a same nanoparticle. The authors believe that this triple fluorescent pH sensor provides a new tool to pH measurements that can have application in cellular uptake mechanism study and new nanomedicine design.