A highly luminescent ZnS/CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals-tetrapeptide biolabeling agent.

Stable colloidal ZnS/CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals capped with hexadecylamine were transferred into water by encapsulation in a protective shell of an amphiphilic polymer. The properties of the products have been investigated by dynamic lighting scattering, absorption, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. These nanocrystals, when conjugated with tuftsin in aqueous suspension, formed an effective labeling reagent for macrophages or lymphocytes. The labeling of cells was demonstrated by confocal microscopy. Hybrid bio-inorganic nanoconjugates are potentially powerful fluorescent tracking tools in biological systems.