Self‐Assembly of Selenium‐Doped Carbon Quantum Dots as Antioxidants for Hepatic Ischemia‐Reperfusion Injury Management

Abstract

Hepatic ischemia‐reperfusion injury (HIRI) is a critical complication after liver surgery that negatively affects surgical outcomes of patients with the end‐stage liver‐related disease. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are responsible for the development of ischemia‐reperfusion injury and eventually lead to hepatic dysfunction. Selenium‐doped carbon quantum dots (Se‐CQDs) with an excellent redox‐responsive property can effectively scavenge ROS and protect cells from oxidation. However, the accumulation of Se‐CQDs in the liver is extremely low. To address this concern, the fabrication of Se‐CQDs‐lecithin nanoparticles (Se‐LEC NPs) is developed through self‐assembly mainly driven by the noncovalent interactions. Lecithin acting as the self‐assembly building block also makes a pivotal contribution to the therapeutic performance of Se‐LEC NPs due to its capability to react with ROS. The fabricated Se‐LEC NPs largely accumulate in the liver, effectively scavenge ROS and inhibit the release of inflammatory cytokines, thus exerting beneficial therapeutic efficacy on HIRI. This work may open a new avenue for the design of self‐assembled Se‐CQDs NPs for the treatment of HIRI and other ROS‐related diseases.

Selenium-doped carbon materials: synthesis and applications for sustainable technologies

“…Se-doped CQDs have been routinely prepared by hydrothermal treatment of selenocysteine at temperatures as low as 60 °C. [97][98][99] The resultant water-soluble dots exhibited good free radical-scavenging capability to limit harmful levels of ROS in cells. Consequently, as Se-CQDs have strong antioxidant properties, they can be used as therapeutics for ameliorating secondary injuries.…”

Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging Nanozymes: Emerging Therapeutics for Acute Liver Injury Alleviation

“… 114 Bai et al fabricated a lecithin-encapsulated selenium-doped carbon dots nanoparticles that exhibit a significant propensity for hepatic accumulation and effective scavenging capacity of ROS and inhibition of the release of inflammatory cytokines, thereby manifesting a favorable therapeutic effect beneficial therapeutic efficacy on HIRI ( Figure 8C ). 115 Zhang et al constructed a Pt@CDs nanocomposite by integrating carbon dots with Pt NPs, which demonstrates promising potential as a highly efficient cascade antioxidant nanozyme, capable of safeguarding biological systems against damages caused by ROS, such as the ALI and acute ear inflammation ( Figure 7B ). 103

Figure 8 Carbon-based nanozymes for ALI alleviation.

…”

“…Copyright © 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH. 115 ( D ) Schematic illustration of nitrogen-doped carbon dots (CNDs) for reactive oxygen species scavenging on HIRI. Reprinted from Chen D, Wang CQ, Yu HJ, et al Nitrogen-doped carbon dots with oxidation stress protective effects for reactive oxygen species scavenging on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury.…”

Repair spinal cord injury with a versatile anti-oxidant and neural regenerative nanoplatform

“…Rizwana et al have synthesized a nanofiber scaffold based on polycaprolactone (PCL) loaded with the antioxidant graphene Oxide (GO) or Cerium Oxide nanase to remove excess ROS [ 14 , 15 ]. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have attracted much attention because of their excellent ROS scavenging ability and anti-inflammatory effects [ 16 , 17 ], and they can be used to remove excessive ROS deposition in animal models such as SCI, hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury, and malignancies et al [ 18 – 20 ]. Due to decreased selenium levels at the site of SCI injury, selenium supplementation is important for maintaining local homeostasis.…”