CdSe/ZnS Core/Shell Quantum Dots in Cooperation with Other Materials for Direct and Indirect Production of Reactive Oxygen Species

In this present work, CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) were exploited in the oxidation reactions of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and glutamate (GLU) for the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Fast and highly efficient oxidation reactions of ALA to produce the hydroxyl radicals (HO^•) and of GLU to produce the superoxide anion (O₂ ^•−) were observed in the cooperation of mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) capped-CdSe/ZnS QDs (MPA-QDs) under LED irradiation. Whereas, binding between MPA-QDs and coumarin-derived dendrimer (CdD)-captured silica particles (SiCdDs) through sol–gel GA enhanced singlet oxygen production under LED irradiation by about 80% as compared to that achieved using QDs only. Confocal fluorescent microscopic images of the size and morphology of HeLa cells confirmed the ROS production from ALA, GLU in cooperation with CdSe/ZnS QDs or QDs-coated SiCdDs under LED irradiation.