Controllable Silicon Nanostructures Featuring Stable Fluorescence and Intrinsic In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Cancer Activity

In this manuscript, we demonstrate that, in situ growth of fluorescent silicon (Si) nanomaterials are intrigued when organosilicane molecules meet different green teas, producing multifunctional Si nanomaterials with controllable zero- (e.g., nanoparticles), two- (e.g., nanosheets), and three- (e.g., nanospheres) dimensional structures. Such green tea-based Si nanomaterials (GTSN) exhibit strong fluorescence (quantum yield: ∼19-30%) coupled with ultrahigh photostability, as well as intrinsic anti-cancer activity with high specificity (e.g., the GTSN can accurately kill various cancer cells, rather than normal cells). Taking advantages of these unique merits, we further perform systematic in vitro and in vivo experiments to interrogate the mechanism of green tea- and GTSN-related cancer prevention. Typically, we reveal that the GTSN enter cell nuclei and then induce cell apoptosis of cancer cells through long-term and real-time cellular imaging. In vivo level, the prepared GTSN are observed to be accumulated in tumor tissues after 14-d post-injection, leading to efficient inhibition of tumors growth. Our results open new avenues for designing novel multifunctional and side-effect-free Si nanomaterials with controllable structures.