Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Mammosphere Formation Assay from Human Breast Cancer Tissues and Cell Lines
10:51

Mammosphere Formation Assay from Human Breast Cancer Tissues and Cell Lines

Published on: March 22, 2015

34.3K

Cadmium telluride quantum dots induce apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines

Saeed Naderi1, Hakimeh Zare2, Nima Taghavinia3

  • 11 Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Bioinformatics Research Center, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Toxicology and Industrial Health
|March 30, 2018
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Cadmium-containing semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) induce apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. This study clarifies QD cytotoxicity mechanisms for safer biomedical applications.

Area of Science:

  • Nanotechnology
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), particularly cadmium-based ones, are increasingly used in biological applications.
  • Concerns regarding the toxicity of QDs necessitate a deeper understanding of their cytotoxic mechanisms.
  • This study addresses the need for more data on QD toxicity in biomedical contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the cytotoxicity of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) QDs, high yield CdTe QDs, and Cadmium Telluride/Cadmium Sulfide (CdTe/CdS) core/shell QDs.
  • To investigate the effects of these QDs on human breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB468 and MCF-7.
  • To elucidate the mechanism of QD-induced cytotoxicity.

Main Methods:

  • Cell viability assessed using MTT assay after treating breast cancer cells with varying QD concentrations.
  • Apoptosis induction visualized through Hoechst staining for morphological changes and DNA fragmentation analysis via agarose gel electrophoresis.
  • Flow cytometry with Annexin V/Propidium Iodide (PI) staining used for quantitative apoptosis detection.

Main Results:

  • A statistically significant decrease in cell viability was observed following QD treatment (p < 0.05).
  • Hoechst staining revealed apoptotic bodies and chromatin condensation, indicative of apoptosis.
  • DNA fragmentation assays showed a DNA ladder profile, and flow cytometry confirmed dose-dependent apoptosis.

Conclusions:

  • CdTe, high yield CdTe, and CdTe/CdS core/shell QDs induce apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner.
  • Findings contribute to understanding the cytotoxicity mechanisms of CdTe QDs.
  • Provides crucial information for developing nanotoxicology and ensuring the safe use of QDs in biological applications.
Keywords:
ApoptosisCdTe quantum dotsbreast cancercytotoxicitynanoparticle

More Related Videos

Flow Cytometric Detection of Newly-formed Breast Cancer Stem Cell-like Cells After Apoptosis Reversal11:21

Flow Cytometric Detection of Newly-formed Breast Cancer Stem Cell-like Cells After Apoptosis Reversal

Published on: January 26, 2019

10.4K
Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging17:14

Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging

Published on: October 9, 2012

18.7K

Related Concept Videos

Quantum Numbers02:43

Quantum Numbers

It is said that the energy of an electron in an atom is quantized; that is, it can be equal only to certain specific values and can jump from one energy level to another but not transition smoothly or stay between these levels.
52.3K
The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom02:45

The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom

Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra.
59.7K
Cell Lines01:16

Cell Lines

A cell line is a population of cells grown in vitro that can be subcultured over several generations. Normal cells cease to divide after a certain number of cell divisions, a process known as replicative senescence. This number, called the Hayflick limit, was conceptualized by Leonard Hayflick in 1961 when he observed that fetal cells grown in culture could only divide 40-60 times. This limit is due to the shortening of the telomeres during each round of cell division, preventing cell division...
10.4K
Apoptosis01:30

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a combination of two Greek words, 'apo' and 'ptosis,' meaning separation and falling off, respectively. Hippocrates used this word to describe gangrene, which was caused due to bandaging of fractured bones. Apoptosis was distinguished from necrosis in 1970 when John Kerr reported observations of morphological changes occurring during apoptosis. During one experiment, he observed that the disruption of blood supply to the liver tissue resulted in a size...
15.3K
The Dot Product01:26

The Dot Product

Measuring how one directional quantity affects another along a specific path involves comparing their orientation and strength. When two such quantities are represented using direction and amount, a numerical result is computed to show how much one acts along the path of the other. This result comes from a rule combining both inputs' horizontal and vertical parts and adding the results.This calculation gives a single value that grows larger when both inputs point in similar directions and...
266
Dot Product01:29

Dot Product

The dot product is an essential concept in mathematics and physics.
In engineering, the dot product of any two vectors is the product of the magnitudes of the vectors and the cosine of the angle between them. It is denoted by a dot symbol between the two vectors.
Consider a vehicle pulling an object along the ground using a rope. If the rope makes an angle with the horizontal axis, the work done can be calculated using the dot product of the force applied and the object's displacement.
The dot...
1.0K