Characterization and cellular interaction of fluorescent-labeled PHEMA nanoparticles

The aim of this study is to label the cells with polymeric nanoparticles properly and efficiently. For this purpose, acridine orange (AO)-loaded poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) nanoparticles were synthesized by miniemulsion polymerization. PHEMA nanoparticles were characterized by zeta sizer, zeta potential, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fluorescence microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR), and elemental analysis. In addition, the toxicity of the nanoparticles were investigated by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay.