Toxicity of CdTe Quantum Dots on Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Along with the widespread development of their bioapplications, concerns about the biosafety of quantum dots (QDs) have increasingly attracted intensive attention. This study examines the toxic effect and subcellular location of cadmium telluride (CdTe) QDs with different sizes against yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The innovative approach is based on the combination of microcalorimetric, spectroscopic, electrochemical, and microscopic methods, which allows analysis of the toxic effect of CdTe QDs on S. cerevisiae and its mechanism. According to the values of the half inhibitory concentration (IC50), CdTe QDs exhibit marked cytotoxicity in yeast cells at concentrations as low as 80.81 nmol L−1 for green‐emitting CdTe QDs and 17.07 nmol L−1 for orange‐emitting CdTe QDs. QD‐induced cell death is characterized by cell wall breakage and cytoplasm blebbing. These findings suggest that QDs with sizes ranging from 4.1 to 5.8 nm can be internalized into yeast cells, which then leads to QD‐induced cytotoxicity. These studies provide valuable information for the design and development of aqueous QDs for biological applications. Thermogenic curves of their metabolism suggest that spherical N‐acetylcysteine (NAC)‐capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) with different sizes influence the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Fluorescence images indicate that the NAC‐CdTe QDs can be internalized by the yeast cells.Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that QDs cause damage to the cells and induce cytotoxicity.