Nitte (Deemed to Be University), Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research (NUCSER), Division of Environmental Health and Toxicology, Kotekar-Beeri Road, Deralakatte, Mangaluru, 575018, India.
Nitte (Deemed to Be University), Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research (NUCSER), Division of Bioresource and Biotechnology, Kotekar-Beeri Road, Deralakatte, Mangaluru, 575018, India.
Chemosphere. 2022 May;295:133836. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133836. Epub 2022 Feb 1.
The risk assessment of cadmium (Cd)-based quantum dots (QDs) used for biomedical nanotechnology applications has stern toxicity concerns. Despite cytotoxicity studies of cadmium telluride (CdTe) QDs, the systematic in vivo study focusing on its organismal effects are more relevant to public health. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the effect of chemically synthesized 3-mercapto propionic acid-functionalized CdTe QDs on organisms' survival, development, reproduction, and behaviour using Drosophila melanogaster as a model. The sub-cellular impact on the larval gut was also evaluated. First/third instar larvae or the adult Drosophila were exposed orally to green fluorescence emitting CdTe QDs (0.2-100 μM), and organisms' longevity, emergence, reproductive performance, locomotion, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cell death were assessed. Uptake of semiconductor CdTe QDs was observed as green fluorescence in the gut. A significant decline in percentage survivability up to 80% was evident at high CdTe QDs concentrations (25 and 100 μM). The developmental toxicity was marked by delayed and reduced fly emergence after CdTe exposure. The teratogenic effect was evident with significant wing deformities at 25 and 100 μM concentrations. However, at the reproductive level, adult flies' fecundity, fertility, and hatchability were highly affected even at low concentrations (1 μM). Surprisingly, the climbing ability of Drosophila was unaffected at any of the used CdTe QDs concentrations. In addition to organismal toxicity, the ROS level and cell death were elevated in gut cells, confirming the sub-cellular toxicity of CdTe QDs. Furthermore, we observed a significant rescue in CdTe QDs-associated developmental, reproductive, and survival adversities when organisms were co-exposed with N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC, an antioxidant) and CdTe QDs. Overall, our findings indicate that the environmental release of aqueously dispersible CdTe QDs raises a long-lasting health concern on the development, reproduction, and survivability of an organism.
用于生物医学纳米技术应用的基于镉 (Cd) 的量子点 (QD) 的风险评估存在严重的毒性问题。尽管已经对碲化镉 (CdTe) QD 进行了细胞毒性研究，但更相关的是针对其对生物体影响的系统体内研究。因此，本研究旨在使用黑腹果蝇作为模型，研究化学合成的 3-巯基丙酸功能化 CdTe QD 对生物体存活、发育、繁殖和行为的影响。还评估了对幼虫肠道的亚细胞影响。第一/三龄幼虫或成年果蝇经口暴露于发绿光的 CdTe QD（0.2-100 μM），评估生物体的寿命、出现、繁殖性能、运动能力以及活性氧 (ROS) 和细胞死亡。在肠道中观察到半导体 CdTe QD 的摄取呈绿色荧光。在高 CdTe QD 浓度（25 和 100 μM）下，存活率显著下降至 80%。CdTe 暴露后发育毒性表现为出现延迟和减少。在 25 和 100 μM 浓度下，出现明显的翅膀畸形，表明有致畸作用。然而，在生殖水平上，即使在低浓度（1 μM）下，成虫的繁殖力、生育力和孵化率也受到高度影响。令人惊讶的是，黑腹果蝇的攀爬能力在任何使用的 CdTe QD 浓度下均不受影响。除了生物体毒性外，肠道细胞中的 ROS 水平和细胞死亡升高，证实了 CdTe QD 的亚细胞毒性。此外，当生物体与 N-乙酰半胱氨酸 (NAC，一种抗氧化剂) 和 CdTe QD 共同暴露时，我们观察到 CdTe QD 相关的发育、生殖和生存不良得到了显著缓解。总的来说，我们的研究结果表明，环境释放水可分散的 CdTe QD 对生物体的发育、繁殖和存活存在持久的健康风险。
