title: Determination of a threshold dose to reduce or eliminate CdTe-induced toxicity in L929 cells by controlling the exposure dose.
abstract: With the widespread use of quantum dots (QDs), the likelihood of exposure to quantum dots has increased substantially. The application of quantum dots in numerous biomedical areas requires detailed studies on their toxicity. In this study, we aimed to determine the threshold dose which reduced or eliminated CdTe-induced toxicity in L929 cells by controlling the exposure dose. We established a cellular model of acute exposure to CdTe QDs. Cells were exposed to different concentrations of CdTe QDs (2.2 nm and 3.5 nm) followed by illustrative cytotoxicity analysis. The results showed that low concentrations of CdTe QDs (under 10 µg/mL) promoted cell viability, caused no obvious effect on the rate of cell apoptosis, intracellular calcium levels and changes in mitochondrial membrane potential, while high concentrations significantly inhibited cell viability. In addition, reactive oxygen species in the 10 µg/mL-treated group was significantly reduced compared with the control group. In summary, the cytotoxicity of CdTe QDs on L929 cell is dose-dependent, time-dependent and size-dependent. Low concentrations of CdTe QDs (below 10 µg/mL) may be nontoxic and safe in L929 cells, whereas high concentrations (above 10 µg/mL) may be toxic resulting in inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis in L929 cells.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaorun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Shanshan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Yuying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xue
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D019187:Cadmium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D042541:Intracellular Space / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D045663:Quantum Dots; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values; D012449:Safety; D013691:Tellurium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D003603:Cytotoxins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D013691:Tellurium; C028337:cadmium telluride; D002118:Calcium