Red fluorescent cross-linked glycopolymer nanoparticles based on aggregation induced emission dyes for cell imaging

Aggregation induced emission (AIE) dye based cross-linked fluorescent glycopolymer nanoparticles (FGNs) with red emission are synthesized for the first time. This is carried out firstly by free radical polymerization between the AIE monomer (R-E) and a renewable biobased monomer itaconic anhydride, and then by the ring-opening reaction between itaconic anhydride and glucosamine hydrochloride to obtain a glycopolymer with plenty of glycosyl groups. The resulting cross-linked amphiphilic glycopolymer was prone to self-assemble into stable nanoparticles with high water dispersibility due to the surplus carboxyl groups and glycosyl groups covering the surface which can also be further functionalized. The thus-obtained nanoparticles demonstrated strong red fluorescence emission owing to the AIE dyes in the core of the nanoparticles. Biocompatibility evaluation and cell uptake behaviour of the nanoparticles were further investigated to explore their potential biomedical applications; the demonstrated excellent biocompatibility made them promising for cell imaging.