Cytotoxicity studies of quantum dots with the electroporation method.

In this study, the cytotoxicity of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) of various dimensions was examined using the electroporation method. The influence of the size of QDs on normal and tumour cell viability after 24 h of incubation with nanomaterials was examined. The three human cell lines were chosen for the tests: A549 (a tumour cell line derived from the lung), MRC-5 (normal fibroblasts from the lung) and HaCaT (normal keratinocytes from the skin). Accordingly, we modelled the effect of nanocrystals on various human tissues because nanoparticles can be introduced into an organism through different routes. We were also able to study which cells are more sensitive to nanoparticles: normal or tumour cells. The nanoparticles were introduced into cells through pores in the cell membranes that were generated by electrical pulses. The effectiveness of introducing nanocrystals into cells was determined as a function of the nanocrystal dimensions and accumulation locations. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of quantum dots was tested, and cell viability after electroporation was evaluated. We also investigated whether the introduced nanocrystals released cadmium ions.