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Review
. 2023 Dec 29:18:8143-8168.
doi: 10.2147/IJN.S434842. eCollection 2023.

A Review of in vivo Toxicity of Quantum Dots in Animal Models

Xiaotan Lin  1   2 , Tingting Chen  1
Affiliations
Review

A Review of in vivo Toxicity of Quantum Dots in Animal Models

Xiaotan Lin et al. Int J Nanomedicine. .

Abstract

Tremendous research efforts have been devoted to nanoparticles for applications in optoelectronics and biomedicine. Over the past decade, quantum dots (QDs) have become one of the fastest growing areas of research in nanotechnology because of outstanding photophysical properties, including narrow and symmetrical emission spectrum, broad fluorescence excitation spectrum, the tenability of the emission wavelength with the particle size and composition, anti-photobleaching ability and stable fluorescence. These characteristics are suitable for optical imaging, drug delivery and other biomedical applications. Research on QDs toxicology has demonstrated QDs affect or damage the biological system to some extent, and this situation is generally caused by the metal ions and some special properties in QDs, which hinders the further application of QDs in the biomedical field. The toxicological mechanism mainly stems from the release of heavy metal ions and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). At the same time, the contact reaction with QDs also cause disorders in organelles and changes in gene expression profiles. In this review, we try to present an overview of the toxicity and related toxicity mechanisms of QDs in different target organs. It is believed that the evaluation of toxicity and the synthesis of environmentally friendly QDs are the primary issues to be addressed for future widespread applications. However, considering the many different types and potential modifications, this review on the potential toxicity of QDs is still not clearly elucidated, and further research is needed on this meaningful topic.

Keywords: cytotoxic; nanoparticle; nanotoxicology; quantum dots; toxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
The pharmacokinetics of the QDs in vivo.
Figure 2
Figure 2
In vivo cytokine release in the serum detected by cytokine array. (A) Levels of cytokines are detected by cytokines antibody array. (B) The amount of IL-4, −10, and −13 was quantified by ELISA (*P<0.05, **P<0.01). Copyright 2020 Nanotoxicology.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The reproductive toxicity of CdSe/ZnS QDs on the male reproductive system and offspring. (A) Apoptotic index percentage. (B) Representative TUNEL images of testicular tissue of mice on Day 14 treated with 2 nmol/kg BW CdSe/ZnS QDs. (C) Changes in pup body weight within 30 days after birth and organ index of offspring mice. (D) Hematology and serum biochemical data of offspring mice on PND 20 and 30 (*P<0.05). Copyright 2021 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Cytotoxic mechanism following three points: (A) The core of QDs degradation with release of heavy metal ions such as Cd2+. (B) Producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induce apoptosis. (C) Interacts with components in the surrounding medium. Copyright 2013 Acc Chem Res and 2009 Nat Mater.
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