Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Department of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Department of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Environ Pollut. 2022 Oct 15;311:119865. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119865. Epub 2022 Aug 6.
Quantum dots (QDs) have bright luminescence and excellent photostability. New synthesis techniques and strategies also enhance QDs properties for specific applications. With the continuous expansion of the applications, QDs-mediated immunotoxicity has become a major concern. The immune system has been confirmed to be an important target organ of QDs and is sensitive to QDs. Herein, review immunotoxic effects caused by QDs and the underlying mechanisms. Firstly, QDs exposure-induced modulation in immune cell maturation and differentiation is summarized, especially pre-exposed dendritic cells (DCs) and their regulatory roles in adaptive immunity. Cytokines are usually recognized as biomarkers of immunotoxicity, therefore, variation of cytokines mediated by QDs is also highlighted. Moreover, the activation of the complement system induced by QDs is discussed. Accumulated results have suggested that QDs disrupt the immune response by regulating intracellular oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species) levels, autophagy formation, and expressions of pro-inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, several signalling pathways play a key role in the disruption. Finally, some difficulties worthy of further consideration are proposed. Because there are still challenges in biomedical and clinical applications, this review hopes to provide information that could be useful in exploring the mechanisms associated with QD-induced immunotoxicity.
量子点（QDs）具有明亮的荧光和优异的光稳定性。新的合成技术和策略也增强了 QDs 的特性，以满足特定应用的需求。随着应用范围的不断扩大，QDs 介导的免疫毒性已成为一个主要关注点。免疫系统已被证实是 QDs 的一个重要靶器官，对 QDs 敏感。本文综述了 QDs 引起的免疫毒性及其潜在机制。首先，总结了 QDs 暴露诱导的免疫细胞成熟和分化的调节作用，特别是预先暴露的树突状细胞（DCs）及其在适应性免疫中的调节作用。细胞因子通常被认为是免疫毒性的生物标志物，因此，也强调了 QDs 介导的细胞因子变化。此外，还讨论了 QDs 诱导的补体系统的激活。积累的结果表明，QDs 通过调节细胞内氧化应激（活性氧）水平、自噬形成和促炎介质的表达来破坏免疫反应。此外，几个信号通路在破坏中起关键作用。最后，提出了一些值得进一步考虑的困难。由于在生物医学和临床应用中仍然存在挑战，本综述希望提供与 QD 诱导的免疫毒性相关的机制研究有用的信息。
