DNA damage in BV-2 cells: An important supplement to the neurotoxicity of CdTe quantum dots

Application of quantum dots in brain diseases and their neurotoxic mechanism

The early-stage diagnosis and therapy of brain diseases pose a persistent challenge in the field of biomedicine. Quantum dots (QDs), nano-luminescent materials known for their small size and fluorescence imaging capabilities, present promising capabilities for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating brain diseases. Although some investigations about QDs have been conducted in clinical trials, the concerns about the toxicity of QDs have continued. In addition, the lack of effective toxicity evaluation methods and systems and the difference between in vivo and in vitro toxicity evaluation hinder QDs application. The primary objective of this paper is to introduce the neurotoxic effects and mechanisms attributable to QDs. First, we elucidate the utilization of QDs in brain disorders. Second, we sketch out three pathways through which QDs traverse into brain tissue. Ultimately, expound upon the adverse consequences of QDs on the brain and the mechanism of neurotoxicity in depth. Finally, we provide a comprehensive summary and outlook on the potential development of quantum dots in neurotoxicity and the difficulties to be overcome.

Oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity of quantum dots and influencing factors

Quantum dots (QDs) have significant potential for treating and diagnosing CNS diseases. Meanwhile, the neurotoxicity of QDs has garnered attention. In this review, we focus on elucidating the mechanisms and consequences of CNS oxidative stress induced by QDs. First, we discussed the pathway of QDs transit into the brain. We then elucidate the relationship between QDs and oxidative stress from in vivo and in vitro studies. Furthermore, the main reasons and adverse outcomes of QDs leading to oxidative stress are discussed. In addition, the primary factors that may affect the neurotoxicity of QDs are analyzed. Finally, we propose potential strategies for mitigating QDs neurotoxicity and outline future perspectives for their development.

Low-dose cadmium telluride quantum dots trigger M1 polarization in macrophages through mTOR-mediated transcription factor EB activation

The increasing application of quantum dots (QDs) increases interactions with organisms. The inflammatory imbalance is a significant manifestation of immunotoxicity. Macrophages maintain inflammatory homeostasis. Using macrophages differentiated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced THP-1 cells as models, the study found that low-dose (5 μM) cadmium telluride QDs (CdTe-QDs) hindered monocyte-macrophage differentiation. CD11b is a surface marker of macrophage, and the addition of CdTe-QDs during induction resulted in a decrease in CD11b expression. Moreover, exposure of differentiated THP-1 macrophage (dTHP-1) to 5 μM CdTe-QDs led to the initiation of M1 polarization. This was indicated by the increased surface marker CD86 expression, along with elevated level of NF-κB and IL-1β proteins. The potential mechanisms are being explored. The transcription factor EB (TFEB) plays a significant role in immune regulation and serves as a crucial regulator of the autophagic lysosomal pathway. After exposed to CdTe-QDs, TFEB activation-mediated autophagy and M1 polarization were observed to occur simultaneously in dTHP-1. The mTOR signaling pathway contributed to TFEB activation induced by CdTe-QDs. However, mTOR-independent activation of TFEB failed to promote M1 polarization. These results suggest that mTOR-TFEB is an advantageous target to enhance the biocompatibility of CdTe-QDs.

An update on the biological effects of quantum dots: From environmental fate to risk assessment based on multiple biological models

Quantum dots (QDs) are zero-dimension nanomaterials with excellent physical and chemical properties, which have been widely used in environmental science and biomedicine. Therefore, QDs are potential to cause toxicity to the environment and enter organisms through migration and bioenrichment effects. This review aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic analysis on the adverse effects of QDs in different organisms based on recently available data. Following PRISMA guidelines, this study searched PubMed database according to the pre-set keywords, and included 206 studies according to the inclusion and elimination criteria. CiteSpace software was firstly used to analyze the keywords of included literatures, search for breaking points of former studies, and summarize the classification, characterization and dosage of QDs. The environment fate of QDs in the ecosystems were then analyzed, followed with comprehensively summarized toxicity outcomes at individual, system, cell, subcellular and molecular levels. After migration and degradation in the environment, aquatic plants, bacteria, fungi as well as invertebrates and vertebrates have been found to be suffered from toxic effects caused by QDs. Aside from systemic effects, toxicity of intrinsic QDs targeting to specific organs, including respiratory system, cardiovascular system, hepatorenal system, nervous system and immune system were confirmed in multiple animal models. Moreover, QDs could be taken up by cells and disturb the organelles, which resulted in cellular inflammation and cell death, including autophagy, apoptosis, necrosis, pyroptosis and ferroptosis. Recently, several innovative technologies, like organoids have been applied in the risk assessment of QDs to promote the surgical interventions of preventing QDs' toxicity. This review not only aimed at updating the research progress on the biological effects of QDs from environmental fate to risk assessment, but also overcame the limitations of available reviews on basic toxicity of nanomaterials by interdisciplinarity and provided new insights for better applications of QDs.

The DNA damage potential of quantum dots: Toxicity, mechanism and challenge

Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanoparticles (1-10 nm) with excellent optical and electrical properties. As QDs show great promise for applications in fields such as biomedicine, their biosafety is widely emphasized. Therefore, studies on the potential 'nanotoxicity' of QDs in genetic material are warranted. This review summarizes and discusses recent reports derived from different cell lines or animal models concerning the effects of QDs on genetic material. QDs could induce many types of genetic material damage, which subsequently triggers a series of cellular adverse outcomes, including apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and senescence. However, the individual biological and ecological significance of the genotoxicity of QDs is not yet clear. In terms of mechanisms of genotoxicity, QDs can damage DNA either through their own nanomorphology or through the released metal ions. It also includes the reactive oxygen species generation, inflammation and failure of DNA damage repair. Notably, apoptosis may lead to false positive results in genotoxicity tests. Finally, given the different uses of QDs and the interference of the physicochemical properties of QDs on the test method, genotoxicity testing of QDs should be different from traditional toxic compounds, which requires further research.

Progress on the toxicity of quantum dots to model organism-zebrafish

In vivo toxicological studies are currently necessary to analyze the probable dangers of quantum dots (QDs) to the environment and human safety, due to the fast expansion of QDs in a range of applications. Because of its high fecundity, cost-effectiveness, well-defined developmental phases, and optical transparency, zebrafish has long been considered the "gold standard" for biosafety assessment of chemical substances and pollutants. In this review, the advantages of using zebrafish in QD toxicity assessment were explored. Then, the target organ toxicities such as developmental toxicity, immunotoxicity, cardiovascular toxicity, neurotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity were summarized. The hazardous effects of different QDs, including cadmium-containing QDs like CdTe, CdSe, and CdSe/ZnS, as well as cadmium-free QDs like graphene QDs (GQDs), graphene oxide QDs (GOQDs), and others, were emphasized and described in detail, as well as the underlying mechanisms of QDs generating these effects. Furthermore, general physicochemical parameters determining QD-induced toxicity in zebrafish were introduced, such as chemical composition and surface coating/modification. The limitations and special concerns of using zebrafish in QD toxicity studies were also mentioned. Finally, we predicted that the utilization of high-throughput screening assays and omics, such as transcriptome sequencing, proteomics, and metabolomics will be popular topic in nanotoxicology.

An overview of quantum dots-induced immunotoxicity and the underlying mechanisms

Quantum dots (QDs) have bright luminescence and excellent photostability. New synthesis techniques and strategies also enhance QDs properties for specific applications. With the continuous expansion of the applications, QDs-mediated immunotoxicity has become a major concern. The immune system has been confirmed to be an important target organ of QDs and is sensitive to QDs. Herein, review immunotoxic effects caused by QDs and the underlying mechanisms. Firstly, QDs exposure-induced modulation in immune cell maturation and differentiation is summarized, especially pre-exposed dendritic cells (DCs) and their regulatory roles in adaptive immunity. Cytokines are usually recognized as biomarkers of immunotoxicity, therefore, variation of cytokines mediated by QDs is also highlighted. Moreover, the activation of the complement system induced by QDs is discussed. Accumulated results have suggested that QDs disrupt the immune response by regulating intracellular oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species) levels, autophagy formation, and expressions of pro-inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, several signalling pathways play a key role in the disruption. Finally, some difficulties worthy of further consideration are proposed. Because there are still challenges in biomedical and clinical applications, this review hopes to provide information that could be useful in exploring the mechanisms associated with QD-induced immunotoxicity.

Adverse reproductive and developmental consequences of quantum dots

Quantum dots (QDs), with a size of 1-10 nm, are luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals characterized by a shell-core structure. Notably, QDs have potential application in bioimaging owing to their higher fluorescence performance than conventional fluorescent dyes. To date, QDs has been widely used in photovoltaic devices, supercapacitors, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis. In recent years, scientists have focused on whether the use of QDs can interfere with the reproductive and developmental processes of organisms, resulting in serious population and community problems. In this study, we first analyze the possible reproductive and development toxicity of QDs. Next, we summarize the possible mechanisms underlying QDs' interference with reproduction and development, including oxidative stress, altered gametogenesis and fetal development gene expression, autophagy and apoptosis, and release of metal ions. Thereafter, we highlight some potential aspects that can be used to eliminate or reduce QDs toxicity. Based on QDs' unique physical and chemical properties, a comprehensive range of toxicity test data is urgently needed to build structure-activity relationship to quickly evaluate the ecological safety of each kind of QDs.

The role of ferroptosis mediated by NRF2/ERK-regulated ferritinophagy in CdTe QDs-induced inflammation in macrophage

Cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe QDs) exist in the environment due to the abandonment of products. There is a potential risk to organisms and toxic mechanism is worth exploring. In this study, 12.5 μmol/Kg body weight CdTe QDs triggered systemic and local inflammatory response in mice and activated macrophages, then the mechanism of activating macrophages to overexpress IL-1β and IL-6 was explored. RAW264.7 macrophages were used, and after macrophages exposing to 1 μM CdTe QDs for 24 h, oxidative stress occurred. Further investigation found that CdTe QDs triggered ferroptosis in RAW264.7 cells. And deferoxamine mesylate alleviated the excessive lipid hydroperoxide caused by QDs. Mechanistically, CdTe QDs-provoked decrease of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) elicited phosphorylation of extracellular regulated protein kinases1/2 (ERK1/2) and then activated ferritinophagy, which made ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) degraded in lysosome and proteasome to release free iron ions to initiate ferroptosis in macrophages. This paper updates the mechanism of macrophage activation by CdTe QDs with regard to ferritinophagy, and more importantly, identifies the key role of NRF2 and ERK1/2. Our research extends the role of ferroptosis in inflammatory responses triggered by nanoparticles (NPs) in macrophages and provides insightful reference for toxicity assessment of NPs.

Dependence of Quantum Dot Toxicity In Vitro on Their Size, Chemical Composition, and Surface Charge

Semiconductor nanocrystals known as quantum dots (QDs) are of great interest for researchers and have potential use in various applications in biomedicine, such as in vitro diagnostics, molecular tracking, in vivo imaging, and drug delivery. Systematic analysis of potential hazardous effects of QDs is necessary to ensure their safe use. In this study, we obtained water-soluble core/shell QDs differing in size, surface charge, and chemical composition of the core. All the synthesized QDs were modified with polyethylene glycol derivatives to obtain outer organic shells protecting them from degradation. The physical and chemical parameters were fully characterized. In vitro cytotoxicity of the QDs was estimated in both normal and tumor cell lines. We demonstrated that QDs with the smallest size had the highest in vitro cytotoxicity. The most toxic QDs were characterized by a low negative surface charge, while positively charged QDs were less cytotoxic, and QDs with a greater negative charge were the least toxic. In contrast, the chemical composition of the QD core did not noticeably affect the cytotoxicity in vitro. This study provides a better understanding of the influence of the QD parameters on their cytotoxicity and can be used to improve the design of QDs.

T-2 Toxin Induces Apoptotic Cell Death and Protective Autophagy in Mouse Microglia BV2 Cells

T-2 toxin exposure could cause neurotoxicity; however, the precise molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated T-2 toxin-induced cytotoxicity and underlying molecular mechanisms using a mouse microglia BV2 cell line. The results show that T-2 toxin treatment-induced cytotoxicity of BV2 cells was dose- and time-dependent. Compared to the control, T-2 toxin treatment at 1.25–5 ng/mL significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and triggered oxidative stress. T-2 toxin treatment also caused mitochondrial dysfunction in BV2 cells, which was evidenced by decreased mitochondrial transmembrane potential, upregulated expression of Bax protein, and decreased expression of Bcl-2 protein. Meanwhile, T-2 toxin treatment upregulated the expression of cleaved-caspase-3, cleaved-PARP-1 proteins, and downregulated the expression of HO-1 and nuclear Nrf2 proteins, finally inducing cell apoptosis in BV2 cells. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supplementation significantly attenuated T-2 toxin-induced cytotoxicity. Moreover, T-2 toxin treatment activated autophagy and upregulated autophagy flux, and the inhibition of autophagy significantly promoted T-2 toxin-induced cell apoptosis. Taken together, our results reveal that T-2 toxin-induced cytotoxicity in BV2 cells involves the production of ROS, the activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, and the inhibition of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Our study offers new insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms in T-2 toxin-mediated neurotoxicity.

Study on the genetic damage caused by cadmium sulfide quantum dots in human lymphocytes

Cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs) are being developed for sensors, fluorescent probes, and other platforms and are attracting increasing attention. Given the growing demand for QDs, it is clear that there is a need to understand their potential toxicity to organisms. However, little is known regarding the genotoxicity of CdS QDs to humans. Therefore, this study used CdS QDs as the research object, cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes, and randomly divided them into a control group, CdS I group (CdS QDs), and CdS II group (CdS QDs coated with thioglycolic acid). After cultivation, we measured the olive tail distance, tail length, tail DNA%, lymphocyte micronucleus rate, and aneuploid rate. The comet test results indicated that the indices of the QD group were significantly larger than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The results of the micronucleus and chromosome aberration tests showed that the lymphocyte micronucleus rate and chromosome aneuploid rate in the QD group were significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared with those in the control group. In conclusion, CdS QDs have certain genotoxicity to human peripheral blood lymphocytes, and the DNA damage caused by CdS QDs encapsulated with thioglycolic acid is less severe than that caused by nonencapsulated CdS QDs.

A Transcriptomic Analysis of T98G Human Glioblastoma Cells after Exposure to Cadmium-Selenium Quantum Dots Mainly Reveals Alterations in Neuroinflammation Processes and Hypothalamus Regulation

Quantum dots are nanoparticles with very promising biomedical applications. However, before these applications can be authorized, a complete toxicological assessment of quantum dots toxicity is needed. This work studied the effects of cadmium-selenium quantum dots on the transcriptome of T98G human glioblastoma cells. It was found that 72-h exposure to 40 µg/mL (a dose that reduces cell viability by less than 10%) alters the transcriptome of these cells in biological processes and molecular pathways, which address mainly neuroinflammation and hormonal control of hypothalamus via the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor. The biological significance of neuroinflammation alterations is still to be determined because, unlike studies performed with other nanomaterials, the expression of the genes encoding pro-inflammatory interleukins is down-regulated rather than up-regulated. The hormonal control alterations of the hypothalamus pose a new concern about a potential adverse effect of quantum dots on fertility. In any case, more studies are needed to clarify the biological relevance of these findings, and especially to assess the real risk of toxicity derived from quantum dots exposure appearing in physiologically relevant scenarios.

Protein corona mitigated the cytotoxicity of CdTe QDs to macrophages by targeting mitochondria

Despite the potential of cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe QDs) in bioimaging and drug delivery, their toxic effects have been documented. It is known that the immunotoxicity of CdTe QDs targeting macrophages is one of their adverse effects, and the protein corona (PC) will affect the biological effects of QDs. In order to prove whether the PC-CdTe QDs complexes could alleviate the toxicity of CdTe QDs without weakening their luminescence, we investigated the impact of protein corona formed in fetal bovine serum (FBS) on the cytotoxicity of CdTe QDs to mitochondria. RAW264.7 cells were used as the model to compare the effects of CdTe QDs and PC-CdTe QDs complexes on the structure, function, quantity, morphology, and mitochondrial quality control of mitochondria. As result, the protein corona form in FBS alleviated the inhibition of CdTe QDs on mitochondrial activity, the damage to mitochondrial membrane, the increase of ROS, and the reduction of ATP content. Also, CdTe QDs increased the number of mitochondria in macrophages, while the complexes did not. In line with this, the morphology of mitochondrial network in macrophages which were exposed to CdTe QDs and PC-CdTe QDs complexes was different. CdTe QDs transformed the network into fragments, punctuations, and short rods, while PC-CdTe QDs complexes made the mitochondrial network highly branched, which was related to the imbalance of mitochondrial fission and fusion. Mechanically, CdTe QDs facilitated mitochondrial fission and inhibited mitochondrial fusion, while protein corona reversed the phenomenon caused by QDs. Besides mitochondrial dynamics, mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy were also affected. CdTe QDs increased the expression of mitochondrial biogenesis signaling molecules including PGC-1α, NRF-1 and TFAM, while PC-CdTe QDs complexes played the opposite role. With regard to mitophagy, they both showed promoting effect. In conclusion, the formation of protein corona alleviated the toxic effects of CdTe QDs on the mitochondria in macrophages and affected mitochondrial quality control. Under the premise of ensuring the fluorescence properties of CdTe QDs, these findings provided useful insight into reducing the toxicity of CdTe QDs from two perspectives: protein corona and mitochondria, and shared valuable information for the safe use of QDs.

Engineering surface patterns on nanoparticles: New insights on nano-bio interactions

The surface properties of nanoparticles affect their fates in biological systems. Based on nanotechnology and methodology, pioneering works have explored the effects of chemical surface patterns on the behavior of...

Advances in endocrine toxicity of nanomaterials and mechanism in hormone secretion disorders

The size of nanoparticles is about 1-100 nm. People are exposed to nanoparticles in environmental pollutants from ancient times to the present. With the maturity of nanotechnology in the past two decades, the production of manufactured nanomaterials is rapidly increasing and they are used in a wide range of aerospace, medicine, food, and industrial applications. However, both natural and manufactured nanomaterials have been proved to pose a threat to diverse organs and systems. The endocrine system is critical to maintaining homeostasis. Endocrine disorders are associated with many diseases, including cancer, reduced fertility, and metabolic diseases. Therefore, we review the literatures dealing with the endocrine toxicity of nanomaterial. This review provides an exhaustive description of toxic effects of several common nanomaterials in the endocrine system; more involved are reproductive endocrinology. Then physicochemical factors that determine the endocrine toxicity of nanomaterials are discussed. Furthermore, oxidative stress, changes in steroid production and metabolic enzymes, organelle disruption, and alterations in signal pathways are introduced as potential mechanisms that may cause changes in hormone levels. Finally, we suggest that a risk assessment of endocrine toxicity based on standard procedures and consideration of endocrine disrupting effects of nanomaterials in the field and its environmental and population effects could be future research directions for endocrine toxicity of nanomaterials.

Reactive oxygen species trigger NF-κB-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation involvement in low-dose CdTe QDs exposure-induced hepatotoxicity

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots (QDs) can be employed as imaging and drug delivery tools; however, the toxic effects and mechanisms of low-dose exposure are unclear. Therefore, this pioneering study focused on hepatic macrophages (Kupffer cells, KCs) and explored the potential damage process induced by exposure to low-dose CdTe QDs. In vivo results showed that both 2.5 μM/kg·bw and 10 μM/kg·bw could both activate KCs to cause liver injury, and produce inflammation by disturbing antioxidant levels. Abnormal liver function further verified the risks of low-dose exposure to CdTe QDs. The KC model demonstrated that low-dose CdTe QDs (0 nM, 5 nM and 50 nM) can be absorbed by cells and cause severe reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Additionally, the expression of NF-κB, caspase-1, and NLRP3 were decreased after pretreatment with ROS scavenging agent N-acetylcysteine (NAC, 5 mM pretreated for 2 h) and the NF-κB nuclear translocation inhibitor Dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin (DHMEQ, 10 μg/mL pretreatment for 4 h) respectively. The results indicate that the activation of the NF-κB pathway by ROS not only directly promotes the expression of inflammatory factors such as pro-IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6, but also mediates the assembly of NLRP3 by ROS activation of NF-κB pathway, which indirectly promotes the expression of NLRP3. Finally, a high-degree of overlap between the expression of the NF-κB and NLRP3 and the activated regions of KCs, further support the importance of KCs in inflammation induced by low-dose CdTe QDs.

Review of gut nanotoxicology in mammals: Exposure, transformation, distribution and toxicity

Nanomaterials are increasingly used in food processing, daily necessities and other fields due to their excellent properties, and increase the environmental contamination. Human beings will inevitably come into contact with these nanomaterials through multiple exposure routes especially oral exposure. The intestine is an important organ for nutrient absorption and physiologic barrier, which may be the main target of nanoparticles (NPs) exposure. However, for a long time, research on the toxicity of NPs has mainly focused on organs such as liver, kidney and brain. There are few assessment data over the intestinal safety. Recently, as reported, NPs can be translocated to the intestinal part in mammals and would be distributed in different substructures of intestines, thus causing damage to the structure and function of the intestine, in which the gut microbiota and its metabolites play important roles. In addition, due to the special physiological environment of gut, nanomaterials will undergo complex transformations that may cause different biological effects from their original form. Therefore, this review aims to assess the potential adverse effects of NPs on intestine and its possible mechanisms through the results of in vivo mammalian experiments. In addition, the exposure pathway, biodistribution and biotransformation of NPs in the intestine are also considered. We hope this review will arouse people's attention to the intestinal nanotoxicology and provide basic information for further related studies.

Toxicity of quantum dots on target organs and immune system

Quantum dots (QDs), due to their superior luminous properties, have been proven to be a very promising biological probe, which can be used as a candidate material for clinical applications. The toxicity of QDs in the environment and biological systems has caused widespread concern in the nanosphere, but their immune toxicity and their impact on the immune system are still relatively unknown. At present, the research on the toxicity of QDs is mainly focused on in vitro models, but few have systematically evaluated their adverse effects on target organs. Animal studies have shown that QDs can be accumulated in various organs due to their main exposure routes, thereby posing a potential threat to major organs. This review briefly describes general characteristics and the wide medical applications of QDs and focuses on the adverse effects of QDs on major target organs, such as liver, lung, kidney, brain, and spleen, after acute and chronic exposure. QDs mainly cause changes in the corresponding indicators of target organs, such as oxidative damage, and in severe cases cause hyperemia, tissue necrosis, and even death. In addition to causing direct damage to target organs, QDs can also cause a large number of immune cells to accumulate and cause inflammatory reactions when causing damage to other major organs. Whether it is to avoid the risk of people contacting QDs in production and life, or to realize the clinical applications of QDs, is very essential to conduct systematic in vivo toxicity assessment of QDs.

Microarray analysis of gene expression differences in microglia after exposure to graphene quantum dots

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have been broadly applied in biomedicine in recent years. So far, researches have reported that GQDs might contribute to the injury of the central nervous system (CNS), yet the latent toxicological mechanism is not clear. This study aims to investigate the underlying biological mechanism responsible for the neurotoxicity of nitrogen-doped GQDs (N-GQDs) and amino-functionalized GQDs (A-GQDs) by use of genome-wide transcription microarray. The findings showed that 174 and 1341 genes were altered significantly in the BV2 cells treated by 25 μg/mL N-GQDs and 100 μg/mL N-GQDs compared with the control, respectively. As for the BV2 cells exposed to 100 μg/mL A-GQDs, 1396 diversely expressed genes were detected. By comparing the 100 μg/mL N-GQDs exposed group with 100 μg/mL A-GQDs exposed group, the expression of 256 genes was extensively altered, including 58 upregulated genes and 198 downregulated genes. From Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, the altered genes were mainly enriched in functions of ion channel activation and cellular processes. Based on the KEGG pathway and signal-net analysis, the toxicity of GQDs in BV2 cells was closely related to calcium signaling pathway, cell cycle and endocytosis. And the pathways that the shared mRNAs involved all served as the crucial roles in the neurotoxicity of GQDs despite the chemical functionalization (N-GQDs or A-GQDs). In addition, the consequences from qRT-PCR, Western blot, intracellular calcium level measurements and comet assay further confirmed that calcium dyshomeostasis, DNA damage and cell cycle arrest were the key factors responsible for the GQDs-induced neurotoxicity through affecting several classical signaling pathways. In conclusion, our research will supply essential data for further studies on mechanisms of GQDs-induced neurotoxicity by use of genome-wide screening.

Toxicity of different types of quantum dots to mammalian cells in vitro: An update review

Currently, there are a great quantity type of quantum dots (QDs) that has been developed by researchers. Depending on the core material, they can be roughly divided into cadmium, silver, indium, carbon and silicon QDs. And studies on the toxicity of QDs are also increasing rapidly, but in vivo tests in model animals fail to reach a consistent conclusion. Therefore, we review the literatures dealing with the cytotoxicity of QDs in mammalian cells in vitro. After a short summary of the application characteristics of five types of QDs, the fate of QDs in cells will be discussed, ranging from the uptake, transportation, sublocation and excretion. A substantial part of the review will be focused on in vitro toxicity, in which the type of QDs is combined with their adverse effect and toxic mechanism. Because of their different luminescent properties, different subcellular fate, and different degree of cytotoxicity, we provide an overview on the balance of optical stability and biocompatibility of QDs and give a short outlook on future direction of cytotoxicology of QDs.

Differences in toxicity, mitochondrial function and miRNome in human cells exposed in vitro to Cd as CdS quantum dots or ionic Cd

Cadmium is toxic to humans, although Cd-based quantum dots exerts less toxicity. Human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) and macrophages (THP-1) were exposed to ionic Cd, Cd(II), and cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs), and cell viability, cell integrity, Cd accumulation, mitochondrial function and miRNome profile were evaluated. Cell-type and Cd form-specific responses were found: CdS QDs affected cell viability more in HepG2 than in THP-1; respective IC₂₀ values were ∼3 and ∼50 μg ml^-1. In both cell types, Cd(II) exerted greater effects on viability. Mitochondrial membrane function in HepG2 cells was reduced 70 % with 40 μg ml^-1 CdS QDs but was totally inhibited by Cd(II) at corresponding amounts. In THP-1 cells, CdS QDs has less effect on mitochondrial function; 50 μg ml^-1 CdS QDs or equivalent Cd(II) caused 30 % reduction or total inhibition, respectively. The different in vitro effects of CdS QDs were unrelated to Cd uptake, which was greater in THP-1 cells. For both cell types, changes in the expression of miRNAs (miR-222, miR-181a, miR-142-3p, miR-15) were found with CdS QDs, which may be used as biomarkers of hazard nanomaterial exposure. The cell-specific miRNome profiles were indicative of a more conservative autophagic response in THP-1 and as apoptosis as in HepG2.

The NLRP3-Mediated Neuroinflammatory Responses to CdTe Quantum Dots and the Protection of ZnS Shell

Introduction

Since CdTe quantum dots (QDs) are still widely considered as advanced fluorescent probes because of their far superior optical performance and fluorescence efficiency over non-cadmium QDs, it is important to find ways to control their toxicity.

Methods

In this study, the adverse effects of two cadmium-containing QDs, ie, CdTe QDs and CdTe@ZnS QDs, on the nervous system of nematode C. elegans, the hippocampus of mice, and cultured microglia were measured in order to evaluate the neuroinflammation caused by cadmium-containing QDs and the potential mechanisms.

Results

Firstly, we observed that cadmium-containing QD exposure-induced immune responses and neurobehavioral deficit in nematode C. elegans. In the mice treated with QDs, neuroinflammatory responses to QDs in the hippocampus, including microglial activation and IL-1ß release, occurred as well. When investigating the mechanisms of cadmium-containing QDs causing IL-1ß-mediated inflammation, the findings suggested that cadmium-containing QDs activated the NLRP3 inflammasome by causing excessive ROS generation, and resulted in IL-1ß release.

Discussion

Even though the milder immune responses and neurotoxicity of CdTe@ZnS QDs compared with CdTe QDs indicated the protective role of ZnS coating, the inhibitions of NLRP3 expression and ROS production completely reduced the IL-1ß-mediated inflammation. This provided valuable information that inhibiting target molecules is an effective and efficient way to alleviate  the toxicity of cadmium-containing QDs, so it is important to evaluate QDs through a mechanism-based risk assessment.

A metabolomics study: CdTe/ZnS quantum dots induce polarization in mice microglia

In this study, a metabolomic analysis was used to reveal the neurotoxicity of the CdTe/ZnS QDs via microglia polarization. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) was applied to uncover the metabonomic changes in microglia (BV-2 cell line) after exposure to 1.25 μM CdTe/ZnS QDs. 11 annotated metabolic pathways (KEGG database) were significantly changed in all exposed groups (3 h, 6 h, 12 h), 3 of them were related to glucose metabolism. The results of the Seahorse XFe96 Analyzer indicated that the CdTe/ZnS QDs increased the glycolysis level of microglia by 86% and inhibited the aerobic respiration level by 54% in a non-hypoxic environment. In vivo study, 3 h after the injection of CdTe/ZnS QDs (2.5 mM) through the tail vein in mice, the concentration of the CdTe/ZnS QDs in hippocampus reached the peak (1.25 μM). The polarization level of microglia (Iba-1 immunofluorescence) increased 2.7 times. In vitro study, the levels of the extracellular TNF-α, IL-1β and NO of BV-2 cells were all increased significantly after a 6 h or 12 h exposure. According to the results of the Cell Counting Kit-8, after a 6 h or 12 h exposure to the CdTe/ZnS QDs, the exposed microglia could significantly decrease the number of neurons (HT-22 cell line). This study proved that CdTe/ZnS QDs could polarize microglia in the brain and cause secondary inflammatory damage to neurons. There are potential risks in the application of the CdTe/ZnS QDs in brain tissue imaging.

The interaction between nanoparticles-protein corona complex and cells and its toxic effect on cells

Once nanoparticles (NPs) contact with the biological fluids, the proteins immediately adsorb onto their surface, forming a layer called protein corona (PC), which bestows the biological identity on NPs. Importantly, the NPs-PC complex is the true identity of NPs in physiological environment. Based on the affinity and the binding and dissociation rate, PC is classified into soft protein corona, hard protein corona, and interfacial protein corona. Especially, the hard PC, a protein layer relatively stable and closer to their surface, plays particularly important role in the biological effects of the complex. However, the abundant corona proteins rarely correspond to the most abundant proteins found in biological fluids. The composition profile, formation and conformational change of PC can be affected by many factors. Here, the influence factors, not only the nature of NPs, but also surface chemistry and biological medium, are discussed. Likewise, the formed PC influences the interaction between NPs and cells, and the associated subsequent cellular uptake and cytotoxicity. The uncontrolled PC formation may induce undesirable and sometimes opposite results: increasing or inhibiting cellular uptake, hindering active targeting or contributing to passive targeting, mitigating or aggravating cytotoxicity, and stimulating or mitigating the immune response. In the present review, we discuss these aspects and hope to provide a valuable reference for controlling protein adsorption, predicting their behavior in vivo experiments and designing lower toxicity and enhanced targeting nanomedical materials for nanomedicine.

The glycolytic shift was involved in CdTe/ZnS quantum dots inducing microglial activation mediated through the mTOR signaling pathway

The excellent optical property and relatively low toxicity of CdTe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) make them an advanced fluorescent probe in the application of biomedicines, particularly in neuroscience. Thus, it is important to evaluate the biosafety of CdTe/ZnS QDs on the central nervous system (CNS). Our previous studies have suggested that the high possibility of CdTe/ZnS QDs being transported into the brain across the blood-brain barrier resulted in microglial activation and a shift of glycometabolism, but their underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, when mice were injected intravenously with CdTe/ZnS QDs through tail veins, the microglial activation, polarized into both M1 phenotype and M2 phenotype, and the neuronal impairment were observed in the hippocampus. Meanwhile, the increased pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines released from BV2 microglial cells treated with CdTe/ZnS QDs also indicated that QD exposure was capable of inducing microglial activation in vitro. We further demonstrated that the glycolytic shift from oxidative phosphorylation switching into aerobic glycolysis was required in the microglial activation into M1 phenotype induced by CdTe/ZnS QD treatment, which was mediated through the mTOR signaling pathway. The findings, taken together, provide a mechanistic insight regarding the CdTe/ZnS QDs inducing microglial activation and the role of the glycolytic shift in it.

Toxic effects and involved molecular pathways of nanoparticles on cells and subcellular organelles

Owing to the increasing application of engineered nanoparticles (NPs), besides the workplace, human beings are also exposed to NPs from nanoproducts through the skin, respiratory tract, digestive tract and vein injection. This review states pathways of cellular uptake, subcellular distribution and excretion of NPs. The uptake pathways commonly include phagocytosis, micropinocytosis, clathrin- and caveolae-mediated endocytosis, scavenger receptor-related pathway, clathrin- or caveolae-independent pathway, and direct penetration or insertion. Then the ability of NPs to decrease cell viability and metabolic activity, change cell morphology, and destroy cell membrane, cytoskeleton and cell function was presented. In addition, the lowest dose decreasing cell metabolic viability compared with the control or IC₅₀ of silver, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, carbon black, carbon nanotubes, silica, silicon NPs and cadmium telluride quantum dots to some cell lines was gathered. Next, this review attempts to increase our understanding of NP-caused adverse effects on organelles, which have implications in mitochondrial dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum stress and lysosomal rupture. In particular, the disturbance of mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial dynamic fusion-fission, mitophagy and cytochrome c-dependent apoptosis are involved. In addition, prolonged endoplasmic reticulum stress will result in apoptosis. Rupture of the lysosomal membrane was associated with inflammation, and both induction of autophagy and blockade of autophagic flow can result in cytotoxicity. Finally, the network mechanism of the combined action of multiple organelle dysfunction, apoptosis, autophagy and oxidative stress was discussed.