In vivo study of the effects of peptide-conjugated near-infrared fluorescent quantum dots on the tumorigenic and lymphatic metastatic capacities of squamous cell carcinoma cell line Tca8113 and U14.

Quantum dots (QDs) have great potential in non-invasive monitoring and imaging of tumor cells in vivo, but it is unknown if QDs affect their tumorigenesis and metastasis. Here, we applied peptide-conjugated near-infrared fluorescent QDs (NIRF-QDs) to label the squamous cell carcinoma cells Tca8113 and U14. We tested the proliferation and apoptotic capacities of both cells, and the capacity of cervical lymph node metastasis after tumorigenesis in U14 cells'. We find that QDs do not affect the tumor cells' capacities to grow, proliferate, and metastasize. Our study provides critical data to support the application of NIRF-QDs in non-invasive monitoring and imaging of tumor cells in vivo.