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Spectroscopic and Microscopic Studies on the Mechanism of Mitochondrial Toxicity Induced by CdTe QDs Modified with Different Ligands

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Abstract

Quantum dots (QDs) are increasingly applied in sensing, drug delivery, biomedical imaging, electronics industries, etc. Consequently, it is urgently required to examine their potential threat to humans and the environment. In the present work, the toxicity of CdTe QDs with nearly identical maximum emission wavelength but modified with two different ligands (MPA and BSA) to mitochondria was investigated using flow cytometry, spectroscopic, and microscopic methods. The results showed that QDs induced mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), which resulted in mitochondrial swelling, collapse of the membrane potential, inner membrane permeability to H+ and K+, the increase of membrane fluidity, depression of respiration, alterations of ultrastructure, and the release of cytochrome c. Furthermore, the protective effects of CsA and EDTA confirmed QDs might be able to induce MPT via a Ca2+-dependent domain. However, the difference between the influence of CdTe QDs and that of Cd2+ on mitochondrial membrane fluidity indicated the release of Cd2+ was not the sole reason that QDs induced mitochondrial dysfunction, which might be related to the nanoscale effect of QDs. Compared with MPA-CdTe QDs, BSA-CdTe QDs had a greater effect on the mitochondrial swelling, membrane fluidity, and permeabilization to H+ and K+ by mitochondrial inner membrane, which was caused the fact that BSA was more lipophilic than MPA. This study provides an important basis for understanding the mechanism of the toxicity of CdTe QDs to mitochondria, and valuable information for safe use of QDs in the future.

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Abbreviations

HP:

Hematoporphyrin

MPA :

3-Mercaptopropionic acid

BSA:

Bovine serum albumin

CsA:

Cyclosporin A

QDs:

Quantum dots

MPT:

Mitochondrial permeability transition

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

CNTs:

Carbon nanotubes

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from Chinese 973 Program (Grant No. 2011CB933600), National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (Grant No. 21225313), Educational Commission of Hubei Province of China (Grant No. Q20141302), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21403017, 21303126), Large-scale Instrument And Equipment Sharing Foundation of Wuhan University and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Virology & Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecule Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, People’s Republic of China

    Lu Lai, Jian-Cheng Jin, Zi-Qiang Xu, Yu-Shu Ge, Feng-Lei Jiang & Yi Liu

  2. College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, 434023, People’s Republic of China

    Lu Lai

  3. College of Chemistry and Material Sciences, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan, 432000, People’s Republic of China

    Yi Liu

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  1. Lu Lai
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Correspondence to Feng-Lei Jiang or Yi Liu.

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Lai, L., Jin, JC., Xu, ZQ. et al. Spectroscopic and Microscopic Studies on the Mechanism of Mitochondrial Toxicity Induced by CdTe QDs Modified with Different Ligands. J Membrane Biol 248, 727–740 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00232-015-9785-x

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