Effects of cell cycle on the uptake of water soluble quantum dots by cells

Abstract

Quantum dots (QDs) with excellent optical properties have become powerful candidates for cell imaging. Although numerous reports have studied the uptake of QDs by cells, little information exists on the effects of cell cycle on the cellular QD uptake. In this report, the effects of cell cycle on the uptake of water soluble thiol-capped CdTe QDs by the human cervical carcinoma Hela cell line, human hepatocellular carcinoma QGY7701 cell line, and human embryonic kidney 293T cell line were studied by means of laser scanning confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. All three cell lines show to take up CdTe QDs via endocytosis. After arresting cells at specific phases with pharmacological agents, the cells in G2/M phase take up the most CdTe QDs, probably due to an increased membrane expansion during mitosis; whereas the cells in G1 phase do the least. A mathematical physics model was built to calculate the relative uptake rates of CdTe QDs by cells in different phases of the cell cycle, with the result as the uptake rate in G2/M phase is 2-4 times higher than that in G1 phase for these three cell lines. The results obtained from this study may provide the information useful for intracellular delivery of QDs.