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The biosynthesis of nanoparticles in bioreactors using microbial, plant, or animal cells is at the forefront of nanotechnology. We demonstrated for the first time that luminescent, water-soluble ZnO nanocrystals (bio-ZnO NCs) can be spontaneously biosynthesized in the mammalian blood circulation, not in cells, when animals were fed with Zn(CH3COO)2 aqueous solution. Serum albumin, rather than metallothioneins or glutathione, proved to play the pivotal role in biosynthesis. The bio-ZnO NCs were gradually taken up in the liver and degraded and excreted in the urine. Thus, we propose that in mammals such as rodents, bovinae, and humans, excess metal ions absorbed into the cardiovascular system via the intestine can be transformed into nanoparticles by binding to serum albumin, forming a "provisional metal-pool", to reduce the toxicity of free metal ions at high concentration and regulate metal homeostasis in the body. Furthermore, the bio-ZnO NCs, which showed favorable biocompatibility, were functionalized with the anticancer drug daunorubicin and effectively achieved controlled drug release mediated by intracellular glutathione in tumor xenograft mice.
Because they generate excellent images, nanoparticles (NPs), especially biosynthesized NPs, provide a new solution for tumor imaging. In this research, we unveil a novel type of biosynthesized NPs featuring multicolor fluorescence. These NPs exhibit little cytotoxicity to cells. The explored NPs, designated Zn-ZFP-GST NPs (Zinc NPs in abbreviation), are generated from leukemia cells treated with a Zn2+ solution, while zinc-finger protein and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were also identified in the Zinc NPs. Under near-UV illumination, the Zinc NPs simultaneously emit green, yellow, and red fluorescence. In addition, the intensity of the fluorescence increases with the existence of sulfides. Besides, the NPs are encapsulated by microvesicles (MVs) shed from the plasma membrane. As observed in whole-body research of nude mice, the NP-MVs migrate via blood circulation and are distinguished by their fluorescent signals. Furthermore, the folic acid (FA) &AVR2 (human VEGF antibody)-coated NP-MVs are exploited to target the tumor location, and the feasibility of this approach has been confirmed empirically. The Zinc NPs shed light on an alternative solution to tumor detection.