The Effect of Polymer Dots During Mammalian Early Embryo Development and Their Biocompatibility on Maternal Health

Conjugated polymer dots have excellent fluorescence properties in terms of their structural diversity and functional design, showing broad application prospects in the fields of biological imaging and biosensing. Polymer dots contain no heavy metals and are thought to be of low toxicity and good biocompatibility. Therefore, systematic studies on their potential toxicity are needed. Herein, the biocompatibility of poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7diyl)-co-(1,4-benzo-{2,1',3}-thiadiazole)],10% benzothiadiazole(y) (PFBT) and poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) polymer dots on early embryo development as well as maternal health is studied in detail. The results show that prepared polymer dots are dose-dependently toxic to preimplantation embryos, and low-dose polymer dots can be used for cell labeling of early embryos without affecting the normal development of embryos into blastocysts. In addition, the in vivo distribution data show that the polymer dots accumulate mainly in the maternal liver, spleen, kidney, placenta, ovary, and lymph nodes of the pregnant mice. Histopathological examination and blood biochemical tests demonstrate that exposure of the maternal body to polymer dots at a dosage of 14 µg g^-1 does not affect the normal function of the maternal organs and early fetal development. The research provides a safe basis for the wide application of polymer dots.