Schematic illustration of the monitoring of cadmium-induced CSCs
based on the concurrent identification of multiple CSC markers using
QD and AOTF-based cellular imaging. MCF-7 and HepG2 cells were treated
with cadmium for 72 h, followed by the separation of CSCs using a
magnetic sorter. Then, hepatic CSCs were identified based on the expression
of QD-conjugated CD133, CD44, and ALDH1, and breast CSCs were identified
based on the expression of CD44, CD24, and ALDH1. The AOTF scans the
cellular images at a single wavelength emitted from the QD-based nanoprobes
without spectral overlap.