Fluorescent Nanothermometers for Intracellular Thermal Sensing

Abstract

The importance of high-resolution intracellular thermal sensing and imaging in the field of modern biomedicine has boosted the development of novel nanosized fluorescent systems (fluorescent nanothermometers) as the next generation of probes for intracellular thermal sensing and imaging. This thermal mapping requires fluorescent nanothermometers with good biocompatibility and high thermal sensitivity in order to obtain submicrometric and subdegree spatial and thermal resolutions, respectively. This review describes the different nanosized systems used up to now for intracellular thermal sensing and imaging. We also include the later advances in molecular systems based on fluorescent proteins for thermal mapping. A critical overview of the state of the art and the future perspective is also included.

Keywords::

• cellular temperature
• fluorescent nanoparticle
• nanotechnology
• nanothermometry
• single cell

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (Project S2009/MAT-1756) and the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia (MAT2010-16161). LM Maestro thanks the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) for a FPI grant. P Haro-González thanks the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad de España for a Juan de la Cierva grant and Fundación Manuel Morales. B del Rosal thanks Universidad Autonoma de Madrid for a FPI grant. Emma Martín Rodríguez acknowledges financial support from the European Commission under the Marie Curie Fellowship Program (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF-274404 'LUNAMED'). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (Project S2009/MAT-1756) and the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia (MAT2010-16161). LM Maestro thanks the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) for a FPI grant. P Haro-González thanks the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad de España for a Juan de la Cierva grant and Fundación Manuel Morales. B del Rosal thanks Universidad Autonoma de Madrid for a FPI grant. Emma Martín Rodríguez acknowledges financial support from the European Commission under the Marie Curie Fellowship Program (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF-274404 'LUNAMED'). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.