Application of carbon dots in nucleolus imaging to distinguish cancerous cells from normal cells

Abstract

Fluorescent molecular probes are very critical for detecting the precise location of lesions in fundamental research and clinical applications. Herein, we report a green-emitting carbon dots (m-CDs) with excellent properties including good photostability, high cellular uptake efficiency, low cytotoxicity, and good counterstain compatibility. Digest tests of ribonuclease indicate the significantly higher affinity of m-CDs for nucleolus RNA in both fixed and living cells. Notably, visualizing nucleoli in cells by using m-CDs can accurately achieve its number and morphology information to distinguish cancerous cells from normal cells. In addition, m-CDs can also be used to monitor the nucleolar dynamics during apoptosis of malignant cells induced by doxorubicin (DOX). The m-CDs show great potential as a nucleolus probe, and promising applications in cancerous cells screening and therapeutic efficacy evaluation.