title: Immunotoxicity assessment of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in macrophages, lymphocytes and BALB/c mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The toxicity of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) in the environment and biological systems has become a major concern for the nanoparticle community. However, the potential toxicity of QDs on immune cells and its corresponding immune functions remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the immunotoxicity of CdSe/ZnS QDs using the in vitro in macrophages and lymphocytes and in vivo in BALB/c mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results indicated that macrophages treated with 1.25 or 2.5 nM QDs exhibited decreased cell viability, increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), elevated apoptotic events, altered phagocytic ability, and decreased release of TNF-α and IL-6 by upon subsequent stimulation with Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In contrast, lymphocytes exposed to QDs exhibited enhanced cell viability, increased release of TNF-α and IL-6 following exposure with CpG-ODN, and decreased transformation ability treatment in response to LPS. To study the in vivo effects in mice, we showed that QDs injection did not cause significant changes to body weight, hematology, organ histology, and phagocytic function of peritoneal macrophages in QDs-treated mice. In addition, the QDs formulation accumulated in major immune organs for more than 42 days. Lymphocytes from QDs-treated mice showed reduced cell viability, changed subtype proportions, increased TNF-α and IL-6 release, and reduced transformation ability in response to LPS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, these results suggested that exposures to CdSe/ZnS QDs could suppress immune-defense against foreign stimuli, which in turn could result in increased susceptibility of hosts to diseases.
authors: College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. xmwang@szu.edu.cn.|Key Lab of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. xmwang@szu.edu.cn.|The Institute of Urinary and Reproductive, Shenzhen Key lab of Translational Medicine of Tumor, The Engineering Lab of Synthetic Biology, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. xmwang@szu.edu.cn.
authors: Xiaomei
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. tianshilinzi@sina.com.|Key Lab of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. tianshilinzi@sina.com.
authors: Jinglin
authors: J
authors: Tian
authors: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore. ktyong@ntu.edu.sg.
authors: Ken-Tye
authors: KT
authors: Yong
authors: Key Lab of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. zhuxuedan0612@hotmail.com.
authors: Xuedan
authors: X
authors: Zhu
authors: Key Lab of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. mcmlin@163.com.
authors: Marie Chia-Mi
authors: MC
authors: Lin
authors: Key Lab of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. jiangwenxiao@szu.edu.cn.
authors: Wenxiao
authors: W
authors: Jiang
authors: Key Lab of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. 395717640@qq.com.
authors: Jiefeng
authors: J
authors: Li
authors: Key Lab of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. xiaobai.qj@163.com.
authors: Qijun
authors: Q
authors: Huang
authors: Key Lab of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. gmlin@szu.edu.cn.|The Institute of Urinary and Reproductive, Shenzhen Key lab of Translational Medicine of Tumor, The Engineering Lab of Synthetic Biology, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China. gmlin@szu.edu.cn.
authors: Guimiao
authors: G
authors: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019187:Cadmium Compounds / Q000276:immunology* / Q000633:toxicity*; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000633:toxicity; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000633:toxicity*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013440:Sulfides / Q000276:immunology* / Q000633:toxicity*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C408982:CPG-oligonucleotide; D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D015850:Interleukin-6; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D013440:Sulfides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha