In Vivo Biodistribution, Clearance, and Biocompatibility of Multiple Carbon Dots Containing Nanoparticles for Biomedical Application

Abstract

Current research on the use of carbon dots for various biological systems mainly focuses on the single carbon dots, while particles that contain multiple carbon dots have scarcely been investigated. Here, we assessed multiple carbon dots-crosslinked polyethyleneimine nanoparticles (CDs@PEI) for their in vivo biodistribution, clearance, biocompatibility, and cellular uptake. The in vivo studies demonstrate three unique features of the CDs@PEI nanoparticles: (1) the nanoparticles possess tumor-targeting ability with steady and prolonged retention time in the tumor region. (2) The nanoparticles show hepatobiliary excretion and are clear from the intestine in feces. (3) The nanoparticles have much better biocompatibility than the polyethyleneimine passivated single carbon dots (PEI-CD). We also found that pegylated CDs@PEI nanoparticles can be effectively taken up by the cells, which the confocal laser scanning microscope can image under different excitation wavelengths (at 405, 488, and 800 nm). These prior studies provide invaluable information and new opportunities for this new type of intrinsic photoluminescence nanoparticles in carbon dot-based biomedical applications.

Injectable Hydrogel Loaded with CDs and FTY720 Combined with Neural Stem Cells for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury

“…Se-CDs have comparable biocompatibility and more stable chemical characteristics, implying that they are less biotoxic and more suited for the treatment of neurological lesions. 52–54 …”

“…Se-CDs have comparable biocompatibility and more stable chemical characteristics, implying that they are less biotoxic and more suited for the treatment of neurological lesions. [52][53][54] This work developed an injectable hydrogel containing CDs and FTY720 coupled with neural stem cells for treating spinal cord damage. All hydrogels demonstrated good biocompatibility with no internal toxicity or pathological changes after implantation.…”

Hyaluronic acid–gold nano-optical probes and determination of their effect on the inhibition of osteoarthritis progression

“…NPs have various sizes, strong persistence, easy absorption, targeting, and viral similarity, and can replace lentiviral delivery systems to avoid unnecessary immune responses. 21 Among them, AuNPs are the best options for nano-drug delivery because of their unique properties, dexterous synthesis, excellent biocompatibility, ease of cell permeability, and high drug-loading capacity. 22 In vivo, drug absorption is affected by factors such as chemotaxis of intracellular absorption, phagocytosis, and lysosomal fusion time.…”

Carbon dots with tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications

“…88 With regard to CD's toxicity, CDs have great biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity. [89][90][91] A number of in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity experiments revealed that CDs display toxic effects at high doses but no discernible toxic effect was detected at lower concentrations. The important point is that although there have been few ndings on controlling scaffold cytotoxicity, CD's cytotoxic or disruptive effects on different pathways remain unclear, and need further investigation.…”