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Review of toxicological effect of quantum dots on the liver
Author(s) -
Lu Jie,
Tang Meng,
Zhang Ting
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of applied toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.784
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1099-1263
pISSN - 0260-437X
DOI - 10.1002/jat.3660
Subject(s) - in vivo , toxicity , quantum dot , context (archaeology) , nanotechnology , mechanism (biology) , liver toxicity , protocol (science) , in vitro , chemistry , toxicology , computer science , computational biology , biology , materials science , medicine , physics , biochemistry , pathology , genetics , paleontology , alternative medicine , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
In recent years, quantum dots (QDs) have potential applications in technology, research and medicine. The small particle size is coupled to their unique chemical and physical properties and their excellent fluorescence characteristics. A growing number of studies have shown that QDs are distributed to secondary organs through multiple pathways, while the liver is the main reservoir of QDs. Here, we review current liver toxicity studies of QDs in vivo and in vitro. Mechanisms of hepatotoxicity are discussed and the problem of extrapolating knowledge gained from cell‐based studies into animal studies is highlighted. In this context, there still exists significant discrepancies between in vitro and in vivo results, and the specific toxicity mechanism remains unclear. The hepatotoxicities of QDs are the need for a unifying protocol for reliable and realistic toxicity reports.