title: Research advances on potential neurotoxicity of quantum dots.
abstract: With rapid development of nanotechnology, quantum dots (QDs) as advanced nanotechnology products have been widely used in biological and biomedical studies, including neuroscience, due to their superior optical properties. In recent years, there has been intense concern regarding the toxicity of QDs with a growing number of studies. However, the knowledge of neurotoxic consequences of QDs applied in living organisms is lagging behind their development, while a potential risk of neurotoxicity arises if mass production of QDs leads to increased exposure and distribution in the nervous system. Owing to the quantum size effect of QDs, they are capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier or moving along neural pathways and entering the brain. Nevertheless, the interactions of QDs with cells and tissues in the central nervous system are not well understood. This review highlighted research advances on the neurotoxicity of QDs in the central nervous system, including oxidative stress injury, elevated cytoplasmic Ca(2+) levels and autophagy to damage in vitro neural cells, and impairments of synaptic transmission and plasticity as well as brain functions in tested animals, with the hope of throwing light on future research directions of QD neurotoxicity, which is a demanding topic that requires further exploration.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Tianshu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Yilu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D010316:Particle Size; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D018570:Risk Assessment
keywords: mechanistic toxicology; nanotoxicology; neurotoxicity; quantum dot; review