Fig. 3: Evaluation of organic phosphorescent nanoscintillators for X-PDT in vitro.
From: Organic phosphorescent nanoscintillator for low-dose X-ray-induced photodynamic therapy
a Confocal microscopic images of 4T1 cells after incubation with ITC nanoparticles (ITC-NPs). The red colour (bottom) is from the phosphorescence of the ITC-NPs, indicating effective cell uptake, as it appears in the same position as the bright-field images of the 4T1 cells (top). b Viability of 4T1 cells incubated with different concentrations of ITC-NPs. Note that each group was treated parallelly with or without X-ray irradiation (1 or 2 Gy). The statistical data are expressed as mean values ± S.D. (n = 3 independent experiments). Note that the total dose that medium and cells irradiated is 1-2 Gy. c Chicken breast block depth dependence of viability of 4T1 cells incubated with ITC-NPs (X-ray: 2 Gy) or Ce6 (LED light: 670 nm, 300 mW/cm2, 90 J/cm2, 300 s). Median and interquartile ranges are presented for the box plot (n = 3 independent experiments). d Calcein-AM/PI co-staining assay of 4T1 cells after treatment with PBS, PBS + X-rays, ITC-NPs, and ITC-NPs+X-rays (X-ray irradiation: 2 Gy) (Green: live cells; Red: dead cells). e Confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) images of 4T1 cells stained with SOSG after incubation with PBS or ITC-NPs. Two treatment groups were subjected to X-ray irradiation (2 Gy). f CLSM images of lipoperoxides in 4T1 cells after incubation with PBS or ITC-NPs with or without X-ray irradiation (2 Gy). Green fluorescence indicates lipid ROS formation after staining with BODIPY-C11. g CLSM images of the changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential of 4T1 cells irradiated with or without X-rays (2 Gy). Red fluorescence indicates positive membrane potential, whereas green fluorescence indicates decreased membrane potential.
