Biocompatibility Of Carbon Dots Research Articles

Nanoarchitectonics of the Effects of Curcumin Carbon Dot-Decorated Chitosan Nanoparticles on Proliferation and Apoptosis-Related Gene Expressions in HepG2 Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.

This study examines the potential anticancer properties of curcumin carbon nanodot-decorated chitosan nanoparticles (CCM@CD/CS-NP) in HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. CCM@CD/CS-NPs were synthesized, and their size, morphology, and elemental analysis were characterized. The combination of curcumin carbon dots and chitosan in the form of a nanoparticle has a number of benefits, including improved solubility and bioavailability of curcumin, enhanced stability and biocompatibility of carbon dots, and sustained release of the drug due to the mucoadhesive properties of chitosan. The purpose of this research was to examine the efficacy of curcumin carbon dot-decorated chitosan nanoparticles as an anticancer agent in the treatment of HepG2 cell lines. The cell proliferation and apoptosis-related gene expressions in HepG2 cells were assessed to investigate the potential use of nanoparticles in vitro. The IC50 value for the inhibitory effect of CCM@CD/CS-NPs on cell growth and proliferation was determined to be 323.61 μg/mL at 24 h and 267.73 μg/mL at 48 h. Increased caspase-3 and -9 activation shows that CCM@CD/CS-NPs promoted apoptosis in HepG2 cells. It was also shown that the overexpression of Bax and the downregulation of Bcl-2 were responsible for the apoptotic impact of CCM@CD/CS-NPs. The nanoparticles have been shown to have minimal toxicity to normal liver cells, indicating their potential as a safe and effective treatment for HepG2. These novel nanomaterials effectively suppressed tumor development and boosted the rate of apoptotic cell death.

Lysosomal Adenosine Triphosphate-Activated Upconversion Nanoparticle/Carbon Dot Composite for Ratiometric Imaging of Hepatotoxicity.

Drug-induced hepatotoxicity (DIH) is a common cause of acute liver injury, endangering human health. Intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in hepatocytes is related to hepatotoxicity. Thus, monitoring the dynamic changes in lysosomal ATP is promising to further understand the pathogenesis and accurate evaluation of DIH. Herein, we developed a lysosomal ATP-activated upconversion nanoprobe by decorating ATP-sensitive carbon dots (CDs) on the surface of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) for ratiometric imaging of hepatotoxicity. Owing to the excellent optical characteristics of UCNPs as well as the high selectivity and biocompatibility of CDs, this nanoprobe showed robust reversibility and good sensitivity to ATP in an acidic environment. Noticeably, it was successfully applied in imaging the lysosomal ATP levels fluctuation in living cells and deep tissues and used for studying the production and remediation pathways of acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. This nanoprobe is significant for further understanding the pathogenesis of DIH and may be a potentially effective tool for the clinical evaluation of DIH.

Spying on the Polarity Dynamics during Wound Healing of Zebrafish by Using Rationally Designed Carbon Dots.

Wound healing is an essential and complex biological process. Research into its mechanism and factors that influence its effectiveness has led to better treatments. Changes in the microenvironment are demonstrated to affect wound healing. Cell polarity is a significant microenvironment-related parameter that is associated with many physiological and pathological activities. However, dynamic changes in polarity during wound healing have not been investigated. Monitoring cell polarity during wound healing may open up a new avenue for developing better treatments. Here, a method is developed to monitor cell polarity that involved taking advantage of the fascinating optical properties and biocompatibility of carbon dots (CDs). Specifically, near-infrared (NIR) polarity-sensitive N-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (PPh-CDs) are successfully prepared, which exhibit high sensitivity to polarity, with 509-fold stronger fluorescence in dioxane than in water. The PPh-CDs are successfully applied to monitor the changes of lysosomal polarity during starvation conditions. Using this method, dynamic changes of polarity during wound healing of zebrafish are monitored for the first time. Upon an amputation performed at the zebrafish tail, stronger PPh-CDs fluorescence appeared at the wound sites, and the intensity increased for 25min and then gradually decreased. This report provides an important experimental basis for investigating wound healing by employing polarity-sensitive CDs.

Synthesis of biocompatible carbon dots from yogurt and gas vapor sensing

Carbon dots are fascinating nanomaterials due to their low cost, straightforward preparation, unique optical properties, and biocompatibility. In this work, carbon dots were prepared from yogurt using pyrolysis method. The carbon dots were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The carbon dots were applied for detecting formic acid vapor using electronic nose system. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of carbon dots were investigated to show their potentials for biomedical applications. Based on these research, carbon dots from yogurt were multifunctional fluorescent nanomaterials for various applications.

Highly fluorescent carbon dots from Pseudo-stem of banana plant: Applications as nanosensor and bio-imaging agents

Carbon dots (CDs) with 48% quantum yield (QY) were synthesized by simple hydrothermal treatment using Pseudo-stem of banana plant as carbon source. As synthesized CDs were characterized using UV–vis, fluorescence, dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and High resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) techniques. A fluorescent nanosensor which exhibits highly specific recognition capability towards Fe3+ over other competing metal ions has been reported. CD exhibits fluorescent “turn-off” sensing nature with high selectivity towards Fe3+ with a detection limit as low as 6.4nM and “turn-on” property towards S2O32− anion. The biocompatibility of CDs was revealed from the cytotoxicity studies on cancerous cells (HeLa, MCF-7 (Michigan Cancer Foundation-7)) and was employed as fluorescent probes for multi-coloured (blue, green and red) imaging of HeLa and MCF-7 cells. Due to the bright fluorescence, water solubility, high photo-stability, low toxicity, cell-membrane permeability and good biocompatibility, as-prepared carbon nanodots are demonstrated to be excellent probe as bio-imaging agent.