title: Cadmium-containing quantum dots: properties, applications, and toxicity.
abstract: The marriage of biology with nanomaterials has significantly accelerated advancement of biological techniques, profoundly facilitating practical applications in biomedical fields. With unique optical properties (e.g., tunable broad excitation, narrow emission spectra, robust photostability, and high quantum yield), fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) have been reasonably functionalized with controllable interfaces and extensively used as a new class of optical probe in biological researches. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in synthesis and properties of QDs. Moreover, we provide an overview of the outstanding potential of QDs for biomedical research and innovative methods of drug delivery. Specifically, the applications of QDs as novel fluorescent nanomaterials for biomedical sensing and imaging have been detailedly highlighted and discussed. In addition, recent concerns on potential toxicity of QDs are also introduced, ranging from cell researches to animal models.
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China. zgming@hnu.edu.cn.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China. zgming@hnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China. gqchen@hnu.edu.cn.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China. gqchen@hnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Guiqiu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhenzhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000009:adverse effects; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D002104:Cadmium
keywords: Bioimaging; Biosensing; Drug delivery; Fluorescence; Quantum dots; Toxicity