ABSTRACT
Carbon dots (CDs) are photoluminescent nanomaterials with wide-ranging applications. Despite their photoactivity, it remains unknown whether CDs degrade under illumination and whether such photodegradation poses any cytotoxic effects. Here, we show laboratory-synthesized CDs irradiated with light degrade into molecules that are toxic to both normal (HEK-293) and cancerous (HeLa and HepG2) human cells. Eight days of irradiation photolyzes 28.6-59.8% of the CDs to <3 kilo Dalton molecules, 1431 of which are detected by high-throughput, non-target high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Molecular network and community analysis further reveal 499 cytotoxicity-related molecules, 212 of which contain polyethylene glycol, glucose, or benzene-related structures. Photo-induced production of hydroxyl and alkyl radicals play important roles in CD degradation as affected by temperature, pH, light intensity and wavelength. Commercial CDs show similar photodegraded products and cytotoxicity profiles, demonstrating that photodegradation-induced cytotoxicity is likely common to CDs regardless of their chemical composition. Our results highlight the importance of light in cytocompatibility studies of CDs.
Subject(s)
Carbon/toxicity , Cytotoxins/toxicity , Quantum Dots/toxicity , Benzene Derivatives/chemistry , Benzene Derivatives/toxicity , Carbon/chemistry , Carbon/radiation effects , Cell Survival/drug effects , Cytotoxins/chemistry , Glucose/chemistry , Glucose/toxicity , HEK293 Cells , HeLa Cells , Humans , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Hydroxyl Radical/chemistry , Hydroxyl Radical/toxicity , Kinetics , Light , Photolysis , Polyethylene Glycols/chemistry , Polyethylene Glycols/toxicity , Quantum Dots/chemistry , Quantum Dots/radiation effects , TemperatureABSTRACT
In this study, grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) lymphocytes were used as the vitro test object to demonstrate the joint effects of microcystins (MC-LR) and bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on fish immune system. The results showed that MC-LR and LPS in the single and combined exposure groups could both induce grass carp lymphocytes apoptosis with typical ladder-like DNA electrophoresis characteristics. However, comparing the apoptosis rate of the combined and single exposure groups, it was suggested that bacterial LPS could cooperate with MC-LR causing a higher rate of fish lymphocytes apoptosis (2.1 and 3.3-fold of that for the single exposure group I (MC-LR) and II (LPS), respectively), and there existed a significant dose-response relationship. The MC-LR cooperating with bacterial LPS decreased the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST), increased the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), resulted in DNA damage and cell arrest in G0 phase, which inhibited cell proliferation and accelerated apoptosis. It was proved that MC-LR exacerbated fish immunotoxicity by collaborating with LPS, which had a serious adverse effect on aquaculture industry.