碲化镉（CdTe）量子点对大鼠海马体的毒性效应及作用机制研究

CdTe quantum dots (QDs), an advanced and efficient fluorescent nanoscale-probe, have been widely used for bio-medicine due to their excellent photoelectric properties. Since cadmium (Cd) is a poisonous heavy metal, it is important for the safety application of CdTe QDs on organisms, among which guaranteeing safety in the nervous system is always the priority. According to our preliminary experiments, we found that CdTe QDs with a certain concentration could injure the structure and function of neural cells, as well as impair the synapse transmission and plasticity. It is still unclear, but really needs to figure out the potential mechanisms of CdTe QDs, such as whether QDs inducing oxidative stress and/or inflammation and/or modulation of ion channels, what enzymes, neurotransmitters and receptors involved. In this study, we would choose brain slices of hippocampus, rats and model organisms as subjects. Observations of changes on the structure and function of hippocampal neurons, behavioral modifications of tested animals would be used to demonstrate the toxic effects of CdTe QDs, while indexes of neurotransmitters, ion channels, receptors and signal transduction factors would be used to explore the mechanisms of CdTe QDs. The achievement of our research would guild the further safety application of QDs in the field of bio-medicine.

碲化镉（CdTe）量子点是一种纳米级新型高效荧光探针，其优异的光电学特性，使得它在生物医学领域得到了广泛的应用。由于镉（Cd）是重金属，CdTe高效安全应用成了大家关注的焦点，而对生物体而言，神经毒性的研究又是重中之重。我们前期预实验研究表明：一定浓度的CdTe量子点会损伤神经细胞结构与功能，并影响神经突触传递与可塑性。但是氧化应激、炎症反应是否产生，离子通道有何改变，哪些酶、递质和受体参与其中，作用机制如何等都是急需弄清的。因此，我们从体内、体外和模式生物的不同角度，用神经细胞的结构改变、功能改变和活体动物的行为改变为观察值，以神经递质的释放、离子通道、受体、信号转导因子等为指标来探讨量子点引起神经毒性的机制，将为量子点在生物医学的安全应用提供有价值的参考。

CdTe量子点作为一种纳米级新型高效荧光探针，由于其优异的光电学特性，在生物医学领域得到了广泛引用，因而其生物安全性也受到研究者的关注。本项目从体内、体外和模式生物的不同角度研究了CdTe量子点对大脑海马体的神经毒性效应及其分子作用机制。通过本项目的研究，明确了CdTe量子点对中枢神经系统靶点之一海马组织的毒性效应，主要包括降低海马神经元活性、损伤学习记忆能力和影响神经递质的传递和接收等。导致这些神经毒性效应的机制较为复杂，是多层次多方面的。本项目重点研究了量子点暴露导致神经小胶质细胞激活从而促发中枢炎症的分子作用机制，主要涉及了NF-κB、NLRP3炎症小体和PI3K/AKT/mTOR三条信号通路的激活。本项目获得的研究结果将为实现量子点在神经生物学领域的安全应用提供一定的参考，而本项目中应用的研究方案也可以为探索其它种类的量子点对神经系统的纳米毒性做出积极的贡献。