Design and fabrication of multivalent Gal-containing quantum dots and study of its interactions with asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R)

Multivalent lactose (Lac-QDs)- and galactose (Gal-QDs)- coated CdSeS-ZnS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) were prepared. The formula of the glyco-QDs was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The uptake of the Gal-containing glyco-QDs by HepG2 cells was investigated. Flow cytometry (FCM) and fluorescence microscopy analysis indicated that the uptake is receptor mediated and selective. The prepared multivalent glyco-QDs could be used to mimic the oligosaccharides in the study of hepatic endocytosis. Furthermore, this type of glyco-QDs can be used as a useful fluorescent probe in cell imaging and analysis of carbohydrate–protein interactions.