Micelle-Encapsulated Quantum Dot-Porphyrin Assemblies as

Micelles have been employed to encapsulate the supramolecular assembly of quantum dots with palladium(II) porphyrins for the quantification of O₂ levels in aqueous media and in vivo. Förster resonance energy transfer from the quantum dot (QD) to the palladium porphyrin provides a means for signal transduction under both one- and two-photon excitation. The palladium porphyrins are sensitive to O₂ concentrations in the range of 0–160 Torr. The micelle-encapsulated QD-porphyrin assemblies have been employed for in vivo multiphoton imaging and lifetime-based oxygen measurements in mice with chronic dorsal skinfold chambers or cranial windows. Our results establish the utility of the QD-micelle approach for in vivo biological sensing applications.National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (R01- CA126642)International Society for Neurochemistry (W911NF-07-D-0004)United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Basic Energy Sciences (DE-SC0009758