{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T20:20:25Z","timestamp":1791231625733,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":120,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,26]],"date-time":"2026-06-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782432000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100010828","name":"Department of Education of Guizhou Province","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["[2023]015"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["[2023]015"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100010828","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"National Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of China","award":["2024106600499"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024106600499"]}]},{"name":"National Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of China","award":["S202510660299"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["S202510660299"]}]},{"name":"Guizhou Provincial Postgraduate Research Fund","award":["2024YJSKYJJ301"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024YJSKYJJ301"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004001","name":"Department of Science and Technology of Guizhou Province","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["QKHJC-ZK (2026)ZD116"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["QKHJC-ZK (2026)ZD116"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004001","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Toxics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanocrystals with unique photophysical properties, rendering them promising for applications in biomedical imaging, neuroscience, and various industrial sectors. However, the rapid expansion of their production and application inevitably leads to the release of QDs into the environment throughout their life cycle, classifying them as an emerging class of contaminants of concern. Their potential neurotoxicity not only represents a major bottleneck obstructing their clinical translation but also poses environmental and health risks that warrant serious attention. This review summarizes recent advances in the neurotoxicity of QDs, with a focus on their adverse effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems. It indicates that the mechanisms of QD neurotoxicity involve a complex network comprising oxidative stress, metabolic reprogramming, neuroinflammation, and multiple cell death pathways. Notably, the peripheral nervous system is highlighted as an early-warning target, and the significant risks associated with long-term, low-dose environmental exposure are emphasized.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics14070558","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,26]],"date-time":"2026-06-26T08:43:57Z","timestamp":1782463437000},"page":"558","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The Complex Interplay in Quantum Dot Neurotoxicity: From Environmental Exposure to Disruption of Neural Homeostasis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Haowei","family":"Xu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Human Brain Bank for Functions, Diseases of Department of Education of Guizhou Province, College of Basic Medical, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Faguang","family":"Kuang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Human Brain Bank for Functions, Diseases of Department of Education of Guizhou Province, College of Basic Medical, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0550-100X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jiawei","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Human Brain Bank for Functions, Diseases of Department of Education of Guizhou Province, College of Basic Medical, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qingzhong","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Human Brain Bank for Functions, Diseases of Department of Education of Guizhou Province, College of Basic Medical, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yawen","family":"Du","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Human Brain Bank for Functions, Diseases of Department of Education of Guizhou Province, College of Basic Medical, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaosheng","family":"Tang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Baofei","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Human Brain Bank for Functions, Diseases of Department of Education of Guizhou Province, College of Basic Medical, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4778","DOI":"10.1021\/jacs.4c10731","article-title":"Surface Copassivation Strategy for Developing Water-Soluble InP Colloidal Quantum Dots with High Luminescence and Suppressed Blinking","volume":"147","author":"Liu","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. 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