Quantum Dots: The Influence on Cell Cycle and Cell Division by Various Cadmium‐Containing Quantum Dots (Small 14/2013)

C. Chen, Y. Gao, Y. Liu, and co-workers compare the influence of the chemical composition and surface modification of seven cadmium-based quantum dots (QDs) on living cells. These parameters determine the amount of Cd2+ released within the cell, and on page 2440 they find that CdTe@ZnS shelled QDs show much lower cytotoxicity than naked ones with similar surface modifications. Moreover, positively charged QDs are more toxic than negatively charged ones. Both positively and negatively charged QDs without ZnS coatings lead to multipolar spindles, misaligned chromosomes, and G2/M checkpoint failures.