Can earthworms biosynthesize highly luminescent quantum dots?

Abstract

Band gap tunable cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized within earthworms that emit in the middle of the visible spectrum. We demonstrated that this luminescence emission is a combination of the earthworm's protein and QD luminescence, such that the contribution of QDs in the luminescence was negligible. Eisenia fetida earthworms were used for QD biosynthesis and were exposed to different concentrations of CdCl and Na SeO in standard soil for an adequate exposure time. The size of the CdSe QDs based on the effective mass model was in agreement with the size measured from the transmission electron microscopy analysis, with an average diameter of 7 nm. Ultraviolet-visible and photoluminescence analyses confirmed the synthesis of CdSe QDs with unique absorption and luminescence at 430 nm and 605 nm, respectively.

Biogenesis of Quantum Dots: An Update

“…Biogenic incandescent CdSe QDs were prepared by Talaeeshoar et al . using Eisenia fetida earthworms [142] . It was further highlighted that the luminescence exhibited by CdSe QDs was not solely due to QDs but due to interaction between earthworm's protein metallothionein and metal.…”

“…Biogenic incandescent CdSe QDs were prepared by Talaeeshoar et al using Eisenia fetida earthworms. [142] It was further highlighted that the luminescence exhibited by CdSe QDs was not solely due to QDs but due to interaction between earthworm's protein metallothionein and metal. The formation of CdSe QDs inside earthworms was due to detoxification process which occurs when poisonous substances pass through the chloragogen cell membrane (CCM) followed by neutralization in the chloragogenous (CG) tissue.…”

Artificially regulated synthesis of nanocrystals in live cells

“…The ‘space–time coupling ARLCS strategy’ was first proposed to account for the synthesis of CdSe QDs in S. cerevisiae in 2009 [ 5 , 8 , 26 , 28 , 39 , 40 ], and it has been expanded to the synthesis of various nanocrystals, such as CdTe, ZnSe, CuSe and Te nanorods, in other cell types including Staphylococcus aureus [ 41 – 43 ], Fusarium oxysporum [ 44 ], E. coli [ 45 ], S. oneidensis [ 11 , 15 , 46 ], Bacillus licheniformis [ 47 ], B acillus amyloliquefaciens [ 48 ], Rhodotorula mucilaginosa [ 49 ], Candida utilis [ 50 ], mammalian cells [ 51 ], Tetrahymena pyriformis [ 52 , 53 ], Caenorhabditis elegans [ 54 ] and earthworms [ 38 , 55 ], by easily altering the raw chemicals fed to the cells (Fig. 1 ).…”

Biological Synthesis of Nanoparticles: Animal Systems

“…The quantum dots were luminescent and soluble in water and exhibited properties of semiconductors. Talaeeshoar et al (2018) described the biosynthesis and the impact of metal precursor concentrations on the synthesis of cadmium selenide quantum dots (CdSe QDs) using Eisenia fetida earthworm, also known by other names like "manure worm," "redworm," "trout worm," "tiger worm," and "red wiggler worm." Cadmium chloride and sodium selenite were the precursor salt sources for cadmium and selenium, respectively.…”