Asymmetric disturbance and permeabilization of bilayer membranes by 3-nm carbon dots

Abstract

Small-sized fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) are gaining increasing attention in the field of biomedical applications. The environmental and biological compatibility of positively charged CDs has been extensively investigated; however, the potential cytotoxicity caused by negatively and particularly neutrally charged small CDs has been significantly overlooked. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation into the cellular membrane disruption effect of weakly negatively charged 3-nm CDs using a combination of various biophysical techniques. Our findings demonstrate that even at a low concentration of 0.5 μg mL−1, these CDs induce significant perturbations on the cellular membrane, resulting in increased membrane permeability due to asymmetric disruption of the bilayer structure. Furthermore, CDs exhibit distinct mechanisms at different concentrations, including prompt insertion into the bilayer at low concentrations (<20 μg mL−1) and a synergistic effect after a threshold time at high concentrations (e.g., 25–200 μg mL−1). Moreover, these CDs possess specific antibacterial properties against Acinetobacter baumannii (with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 50 μg mL−1) while showing minimal hemolytic or cytotoxic effects on mammalian cells. This study provides comprehensive insights into the biophysical aspects of cellular membrane toxicity caused by small weakly negatively charged CDs and contributes to assessing their potential biomedical applications.