Preparation of silver sulfide quantum dots coated with cinnamon alcoholic extract by green chemistry method and investigation of its toxicity on HFF-2 cell line

Aim and Background: Quantum dots are used as a cell marker in the biological imaging of plant, animal and prokaryotes cells. This technology is used to detect cancer cells in sentinel lymph nodes, high-resolution imaging of transmembrane transfer and dynamics of tumour cell proteins during metastasis in living mice. In advantages, the toxicity of quantum dots should also be considered. In current studies, quantum dots cause free radicals and oxidative stress in plant cells. In animal cells, they disrupt mitochondrial function and cause programmed death of intravascular cells. Therefore, in this study, by preparing silver sulfide quantum dots coated with cinnamon alcoholic extract, we decided to investigate its toxicity on biological systems by the green chemistry method. Methods: The silver sulfide quantum dot was synthesized by reacting silver nitrate and thiourea. Then the cinnamon alcoholic extract was added to the contents. Tests such as FT-IR, DLS, TEM, UV-Vis, and XRD were used to identify and examine the structure and properties of the synthesized quantum dots. Results and discussion: The results of investigating the toxicity of synthesized quantum dots on blood cells showed that quantum dots coated with cinnamon alcoholic extract did not cause significant damage to the red blood cell membrane, which indicates the higher biocompatibility of painted silver sulfite quantum dots compared to uncoated ones. However, the HFF-2 cell toxicity test showed that uncoated and coated silver sulfide quantum dots increased cell death. Conclusion: To sum up, efforts to reduce the toxicity of silver sulfide quantum dots on biological systems were fruitful.