Abstract

In this investigation, quantum dots of cadmium sulfide semiconductor crystals capped with dextrin and bioconjugated with doxorubicin were used to target and provide imaging of HeLa cells, which play a critical role in cervical cancer. These dextrin-capped cadmium sulfide nanoparticles/semiconductor quantum dots bioconjugated with doxorubicin are in the range of 5 nm in size and exhibit an intense fluorescence emission in the green and red spectrum, which benefited fluorescence imaging on HeLa cells. Results obtained showed that dextrin-capped cadmium sulfide nanoparticles/semiconductor quantum dots bioconjugated with doxorubicin have a large accumulation time in cells distributed in the cytoplasm and nucleus, where the pharmacological effects of drugs are enhanced. Cells treated with dextrin-capped cadmium sulfide nanoparticles/semiconductor quantum dots bioconjugated with doxorubicin also showed a major increase in size, including cytoplasm and nucleus, as compared to cells treated with doxorubicin alone. Additionally, binucleated cells and membrane blebbing was also found. Therefore, dextrin-capped cadmium sulfide nanoparticles/semiconductor quantum dots bioconjugated with doxorubicin could be used as probes for simultaneous cell cancer-targeted fluorescent imaging, tracking and monitoring cell viability with the advantage of improving the clinical effects of antineoplastic drugs with increasing apoptosis.