Catechin caged lanthanum orthovanadate nanorods for nuclear targeting and bioimaging applications

Uniform nanocrystalline LaVO4: Eu nanorods have been successfully prepared through a simple solution based hydrothermal process using catechin hydrate as a ligand. Thermogravimetric, CHN, and zeta potential analysis confirmed the coating of catechin hydrate on the surface of LaVO4. The use of Eu3+ ions resulted in a red luminescence of the products, with an emission maximum at 618 nm. Laser flash photolysis of these luminescent nanorods demonstrated a photoluminescent decay time of milliseconds. In vitro assays performed with HaCaT cells validated the feasibility of these nanorods to serve as nuclear nano bioprobe. Nanorods emission was observed in the cells by confocal microscopy. In addition, red emitter nanorods displayed no cytotoxicity over a wide concentration ranging namely 10 mu g-500 mu g by MIT cell viability assay. These results suggest that LaVO4: Eu nanorods possess the potential to serve as a luminescent probe in bioimaging and nuclear targeting applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.