Premium
Cytotoxicity screening of a series of semiconductor quantum dots for their potential biomedical use
Author(s) -
Ermilov Eugeny,
Kuzyniak Weronika,
Adegoke Oluwasesan,
Sekhosana Kutloano,
Hoffmann Bjoern,
Nyokong Tebello,
Pries Axel R.,
Höpfner Michael
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.575.11
Subject(s) - cytotoxicity , quantum dot , cadmium telluride photovoltaics , biosensor , chemistry , thioglycolic acid , nanotechnology , in vivo , glutathione , materials science , biophysics , in vitro , biochemistry , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , enzyme
Background Quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates for a wide variety of biomedical applications, such as imaging, biosensing and drug delivery. However, the major drawback of QDs is their potential cytotoxicity. The major goal of the present study was to examine cytotoxic effects of a series of newly synthesized CdTe or CdSe QDs with/without ZnS shell and different cappings to estimate their potential use in biomedicine. Methods & Results Proliferation studies using the human pancreatic carcinoid cell line BON and the esophageal squamous carcinoma cell line Kyse70 revealed that CdTe and CdSe QDs with or without ZnS shell and coated with 3‐mercaptopropionic acid were highly cytotoxic even at low nanomolar concentrations. By contrast capping with L‐glutathione (GSH) or thioglycolic acid (TGA) reduced the cytotoxicity of CdTe and CdSe QDs to reach IC 50 values in the micromolar range. Additional investigations using chorioallantoic membranes of fertilized chicken eggs (CAM assay) to which QDs were applied topically or injected intravenously confirmed the good tolerability in vivo . Conclusion The specific surface coating as well as core material has significant impact on QD toxicity in cells and tissues. The novel TGA‐ and GSH‐capped QDs characterized in this investigation merit further elucidation as promising candidates for biomedical applications.