Anju Surendranath

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, India

Title: Elucidating the toxicological impact of WS2 quantum dots in biological subjects by probing the biodistribution/ blood kinetics status using Sprague Dawley rats

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Biography

Anju Surendranath, currently doing PhD in Toxicology, under the guidance of Dr P V Mohanan, Toxicology Division, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, India. Our institute is an organization of national importance currently focusing on biomedical researches under the aegis of department of Science and technology, Govt of India. I am a UGC Senior Research Fellow. I have published around 12 research publications and 2 book chapters in reputed journals of high impact factor.

Abstract

As one of the typical TMDCs, WS2 has attracted recent scientific attention due to its unique properties such as anisotropic nature, high strength moduli, good shock absorbing capacity, high stability, large surface area as well as optical, electronic and electro catalytic properties. In the QD dimensionality with ?10 nm size, WS2 exhibits unique optical properties when compared to its nanosheets or bulk material counterpart, which makes it a suitable candidate for biomedical applications, especially in imaging guided therapies. Such QDs could provide abundant active edges and large specific surface areas, as well as stable quantum confinement effect. Based on these facts, an idea is made to synthesize, characterize and explore the toxicological impact of this emerging material along with an in depth QD-bio interaction analysis in-vivo. 

In the present study, WS2 QDs of ~4nm size and uniform size distribution were synthesized by solvothermal exfoliation method. XRD, XPS and FTIR confirmed the chemical and material composition of the QDs. In vitro QD uptake and cellular interaction studies were evaluated using LN-229 cells. Further in vivo toxicological evaluation was done in Sprague Dawley rats after 10mg/kg body weight administration of WS2QDs in physiological saline. Serum biochemistry, hematology and histopathological studies showed no evident signs of clinical changes, morbidity/ mortality after 3, 7 and 14 days of administration. Biodistribution and blood kinetics was evaluated using ICP-MS analysis, which showed the maximum retention of the compound in major organs on the 7th day but didnot evoke a toxic impact in the animal physiological system. Antioxidant assays were performed in liver/ brain tissue homogenates, which again confirmed the non-toxic nature of the QDs. Hence the study clearly confirms that WS2 QDs is a promising material for future biomedical applications.