中文摘要：

随着纳米技术和纳米医学的飞速发展,越来越多的纳米材料应用于生物医学领域。量子点（QDs）作为一种新型的荧光材料在工业和医学领域有着广阔的应用前景,而碲化镉量子点（cadmium telluride quantum dots,CdTeQDs）是目前常用的一种QDs,其生物安全性引起了极大的关注。体内外的研究表明CdTeQDs可以对生物体造成损害。CdTeQDs的细胞毒性主要表现为细胞活力和生存率降低,细胞正常形态被破坏,基因突变,染色体畸变以及细胞凋亡的出现。而毒性机制的研究集中于活性氧（ROS）水平的升高,线粒体形态和功能的破坏,DNA受损和自噬作用等方面。笔者综述了CdTeQDs对体外细胞造成的毒性作用及其机制,旨在为CdTeQDs的生物安全性研究和更好的应用提供有价值的参考。

英文摘要：

With the rapid development of nanotechnology and nano-medicine,a growing number of nano-materials are applied in the biomedical field. Quantum dots（ QDs）,a kind of novel fluorescent material,have a potential biological and biomedical applications. Since cadmium telluride quantum dots（ CdTeQDs） are one of frequently used QDs,their bio-safety has gained intensive concerns. Several in vitro and in vivo toxicological studies suggested that CdTeQDs exposure could damage cells and living organisms. The cytotoxic effects of CdTeQDs include decreases in cell viability,impairment of cellular normal morphology,gene mutation,chromosomal aberration,and occurrence of cell apoptosis. Those studies focusing on toxic mechanisms of CdTeQDs causing these adverse effects found that CdTeQDs induced increased ROS generation,impairment of mitochondria construction and function,DNA damage and autophagy. This review briefly introduced the toxic effects of CdTeQDs on in vitro cells and some underlying mechanisms,which aimed to support further bio-safety assessments and better applications of CdTeQDs.