Abstract
Cancer remains one of the most deadly diseases globally, but carbon-based nanomaterials have the potential to revolutionize cancer diagnosis and therapy. Advances in nanotechnology and a better understanding of tumor microenvironments have contributed to novel nanotargeting routes that may bring new hope to cancer patients. Several low-dimensional carbon-based nanomaterials have shown promising preclinical results; as such, low-dimensional carbon dots (CDs) and their derivatives are considered up-and-coming candidates for cancer treatment. The unique properties of carbon-based nanomaterials are high surface area to volume ratio, chemical inertness, biocompatibility, and low cytotoxicity. It makes them well suited for delivering chemotherapeutics in cancer treatment and diagnosis. Recent studies have shown that the CDs are potential applicants in biomedical sciences, both as nanocarriers and nanotransducers. This review covers the most commonly used CD nanoparticles in nanomedicines intended for the early diagnosis and therapy of cancer.
Highlights
Low-dimensional carbon dots (CDs) are known as carbon nanodots, carbon nanoparticles, carbon quantum dots, carbogenic quantum dots, or fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (FCNs)
CDs have shown a range of colors from blue to red, and even NIR emissions, based on different synthesis approaches
A collective effort from nanotechnology has required the development of cancer therapeutics to overcome the hurdle of translating CD-based nanomaterials
Summary
Low-dimensional carbon dots (CDs) are known as carbon nanodots, carbon nanoparticles, carbon quantum dots, carbogenic quantum dots, or fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (FCNs). The CDs are sp2- and sp3-type hybridized carbon, commonly known as the “D” (diamond) and “G” (graphene) band carbon. CDs decorated with surface functional groups such as –COOH, –OH, –CHO, and –NH2 are sufficiently soluble in water, which is the prerequisite for drug loading and a drug carrier. CDs can increase photoluminescence (PL) when polymer chains are attached to the uncovered surface, making a bioimaging probe for cancer diagnosis [1,2,3,4,5,6]. CDs offer the development of theranostic (therapeutic and diagnostic) nanoparticles for combined cancer imaging and therapy
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