02606nas a2200181   4500008004100000245012400041210006900165260000800234300001400242490000700256520192700263100001702190700001702207700002602224700002602250700002002276856012802296       2016                        eng d00aBiosynthesis of fluorescent Bi2S3 nanoparticles and their application as dual-functionSPECT-CT probe for animal imaging0 aBiosynthesis of fluorescent Bi2S3 nanoparticles and their applic  cOCT  a2019-20250 v163 aBismuth sulphide (Bi2S3) is an excellent semiconductor and its nanoparticles have numerous significant applications including photovoltaic materials, photodiode arrays, bio-imaging, etc. Nevertheless, these nanoparticles when fabricated by chemical and physical routes tend to easily aggregate in colloidal solutions, are eco-unfriendly, cumbrous and very broad in size distribution. The aim of the present manuscript was to ecologically fabricate water dispersible, safe and stable Bi2S3 nanoparticles such that these may find use in animal imaging, diagnostics, cell labeling and other biomedical applications. Herein, we for the first time have biosynthesized highly fluorescent, natural protein capped Bi2S3 nanoparticles by subjecting the fungus Fusarium oxysporum to bismuth nitrate pentahydrate [Bi(NO3)(3).5H(2)O] alongwith sodium sulphite (Na2SO3) as precursor salts under ambient conditions of temperature, pressure and pH. The nanoparticles were completely characterized using recognized standard techniques. These natural protein capped Bi2S3 nanoparticles are quasi-spherical in shape with an average particle size of 15 nm, maintain long term stability and show semiconductor behavior having blue shift with a band gap of 3.04 eV. Semiconductor nanocrystals are fundamentally much more fluorescent than the toxic fluorescent chemical compounds (fluorophores) which are presently largely employed in imaging, immunohistochemistry, biochemistry, etc. Biologically fabricated fluorescent nanoparticles may replace organic fluorophores and aid in rapid development of biomedical nanotechnology. Thus, biodistribution study of the so-formed Bi2S3 nanoparticles in male Sprague Dawley rats was done by radiolabelling with Technitium-99m (Tc-99m) and clearance time from blood was calculated. The nanoparticles were then employed in SPECT-CT probe for animal imaging where these imparted iodine equivalent contrast.1 aUddin, Imran1 aAhmad, Absar1 aSiddiqui, Ejaz, Ahmad1 aRahaman, Sk., Hasanur1 aGambhir, Sanjay  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/biosynthesis-fluorescent-bi2s3-nanoparticles-and-their-application-dual-functionspect-ct