CuInS2/ZnS-PEG
quantum dots (QDs) are among the most widely used near infrared non-
cadmium QDs and are favored because of their non-
cadmium content and strong tissue penetration. However, with their increasing use, there is great concern about whether exposure to QDs is potentially risky to the environment and humans. Furthermore, toxicological data related to CuInS2/ZnS-PEG QDs are scarce. In the study, we found that CuInS2/ZnS-PEG QDs (0-100 μg/mL) could internalize into human
LAD2 mast cells without affecting their survival rate, nor did it cause degranulation or release of
IL-8 and TNF-α. However, CuInS2/ZnS-PEG QDs significantly inhibited
Substance P (SP) and LL-37-induced degranulation and chemotaxis of
LAD2 cells by inhibiting
calcium mobilization. Lower concentrations of CuInS2/ZnS-PEG QDs promoted the release of TNF-α and
IL-8 stimulated by SP, but higher concentrations of CuInS2/ZnS-PEG QDs significantly inhibited the release of TNF-α and
IL-8. On the other hand, CuInS2/ZnS-PEG QDs promoted LL-37-mediated TNF-α release from
LAD2 cells in a dose-dependent manner from 6.25 to 100 μg/mL, while release of
IL-8 triggered by LL-37 was dose-dependently inhibited within a dose concentration of 12.5-100 μg/mL. Collectively, our data demonstrated that CuInS2/ZnS-PEG QDs differentially mediated human mast cell activation induced by SP and LL-37.