Carbon Dots: An Innovative Tool for Drug Delivery in Brain Tumors

Abstract

Brain tumors are particularly aggressive and represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in adults and children, affecting the global population and being responsible for 2.6% of all cancer deaths (as well as 30% of those in children and 20% in young adults). The blood-brain barrier (BBB) excludes almost 100% of the drugs targeting brain neoplasms, representing one of the most significant challenges to current brain cancer therapy. In the last decades, carbon dots have increasingly played the role of drug delivery systems with theranostic applications against cancer, thanks to their bright photoluminescence, solubility in bodily fluids, chemical stability, and biocompatibility. After a summary outlining brain tumors and the current drug delivery strategies devised in their therapeutic management, this review explores the most recent literature about the advances and open challenges in the employment of carbon dots as both diagnostic and therapeutic agents in the treatment of brain cancers, together with the strategies devised to allow them to cross the BBB effectively.

Carbon Dots in Bioimaging, Biosensing and Therapeutics: A Comprehensive Review

“…[183][184][185] Most of the CDs@drug complexes have cleavable chemical bonds, allowing the targeted release of drugs under the acidic environment of tumor sites or in response to other stimuli. [186][187][188] In addition to enhancing the delivery and controlled release at the target site, CDs can help overcome the drug resistance of cancer cells or other diseased cells.…”

Carbon dots derived from natural sources and their biological and environmental impacts

“…The BBB comprises a highly specialized endothelial cell monolayer, strictly limiting cargo transport into the brain and maintaining the central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis. 94 Recent studies have reported that CDs showed the ability to cross the BBB benefiting from their ultrasmall sizes and long-term stability, offering the opportunity to be employed as an advanced delivery system. For example, Leblanc et al successfully prepared carbon dots with d -glucose in a relatively easy labor- and cost-efficient manner.…”

“…The BBB comprises a highly specialized endothelial cell monolayer, strictly limiting cargo transport into the brain and maintaining the central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis. 94 Recent studies have reported that CDs showed the ability to cross the BBB benefiting from their ultrasmall sizes and long-term stability, offering the Fig. 5 (a) Schematic representation of DNA-CD synthesized from genomic DNA of E. coli and its application in drug delivery.…”

Physicochemical Characterization and Antibacterial Properties of Carbon Dots from Two Mediterranean Olive Solid Waste Cultivars

“…A simple synthetic procedure, wide precursors, and fascinating physical and chemical properties have successfully stimulated researchers in the last years. In the spreading field of nanotechnology, CDs have been utilized as promising tools for many applications [ 2 ], such as optical sensors for ions and molecular species [ 3 ], photocatalysis [ 4 ], optoelectronics [ 5 ], biomaterials [ 6 , 7 ], bio-imaging [ 8 ], cancer diagnosis and therapy [ 9 ], drug delivery in tumours [ 10 , 11 ], and so on.…”