Long-Term Exposure to CdTe Quantum Dots Causes Functional Impairments in Live Cells

Abstract

Several studies suggested that the cytotoxic effects of quantum dots (QDs) may be mediated by cadmium ions (Cd2+) released from the QDs cores. The objective of this work was to assess the intracellular Cd2+ concentration in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells treated with cadmium telluride (CdTe) and core/shell cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide (CdSe/ZnS) nanoparticles capped with mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), cysteamine (Cys), or N-acetylcysteine (NAC) conjugated to cysteamine. The Cd2+ concentration determined by a Cd2+-specific cellular assay was below the assay detection limit (<5 nM) in cells treated with CdSe/ZnS QDs, while in cells incubated with CdTe QDs, it ranged from approximately 30 to 150 nM, depending on the capping molecule. A cell viability assay revealed that CdSe/ZnS QDs were nontoxic, whereas the CdTe QDs were cytotoxic. However, for the various CdTe QD samples, there was no dose-dependent correlation between cell viability and intracellular [Cd2+], implying that their cytotoxicity cannot be attributed solely to the toxic effect of free Cd2+. Confocal laser scanning microscopy of CdTe QDs-treated cells imaged with organelle-specific dyes revealed significant lysosomal damage attributable to the presence of Cd2+ and of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can be formed via Cd2+-specific cellular pathways and/or via CdTe-triggered photoxidative processes involving singlet oxygen or electron transfer from excited QDs to oxygen. In summary, CdTe QDs induce cell death via mechanisms involving both Cd2+ and ROS accompanied by lysosomal enlargement and intracellular redistribution.