Self-Targeting Fluorescent Carbon Dots for Diagnosis of Brain Cancer Cells

Abstract

A new type of carbon dots (CD-Asp) with targeting function toward brain cancer glioma was synthesized via a straightforward pyrolysis route by using D-glucose and L-aspartic acid as starting materials. The as-prepared CD-Asp exhibits not only excellent biocompatibility and tunable full-color emission, but also significant capability of targeting C6 glioma cells without the aid of any extra targeting molecules. In vivo fluorescence images showed high-contrast biodistribution of CD-Asp 15 min after tail vein injection. A much stronger fluorescent signal was detected in the glioma site than that in normal brain, indicating their ability to freely penetrate the blood-brain barrier and precisely targeting glioma tissue. However, its counterparts, the CDs synthesized from D-glucose (CD-G), L-asparic acid (CD-A), or D-glucose and L-glutamic acid (CD-Glu) have no or low selectivity for glioma. Therefore, CD-Asp could act as a fluorescence imaging and targeting agent for noninvasive glioma diagnosis. This work highlights the potential application of CDs for constructing an intelligent nanomedicine with integration of diagnostic, targeting, and therapeutic functions.

Carbon dots: promising biomaterials for bone-specific imaging and drug delivery

“…15–20 In most of the in vivo studies, however, C-dots were found to accumulate in various parts of the body without specificity. 14, 21–23 The lack of specificity significantly limits their use for targeted applications, such as early detection and treatment of bone de-mineralization diseases. Only recently, interactions of C-dots with ex vivo samples, extracted and cracked bones, have been reported using C-dots functionalized with glutamic acid.…”

MnAl Layered Double Hydroxide Nanoparticles as a Dual‐Functional Platform for Magnetic Resonance Imaging and siRNA Delivery

“…[9,10] Although Gd 3 + complexes provide superior contrast capability for tumours and the vascular system, slow excretion and toxicity accompanied with long-terma ccumulation may hindert heir future clinicald evelopment. [13] Moreover, consideringt he acidic microenvironment of the tumourc ompared with normalt issue, it will be beneficial for tumourd etection and therapy if the nanotheranostic agent is pH-sensitivea ta pH of 7.0-6.0.I nt his case, the contrasta gent is anticipated to enable improved MRI performance due to its enhanced accessibility to the surrounding water molecules. As MRI contrast agents, SPIO nanoparticles are able to decrease the transverse relaxation time T 2 and give observable images at the molecular and cellular level.…”

In vivo characterization of hair and skin derived carbon quantum dots with high quantum yield as long-term bioprobes in zebrafish

“…Therefore, it should be ensured the safety of CDs before applying them for bio-applications, such as bioluminescence imaging. In order to prove the feasibility of CDs used as fluorescent probes, several models have been used to examine the dispersibility, toxicity and biological compatibility of CDs both in vitro and in vivo , such as cells42425, bacteria2627, mouse2829 and zebrafish30. Among all above models, zebrafish ( Danio Rerio ) is a favorite model for the studies on the practicability of CDs as bioprobes, due to its short generation time, low husbandry cost, facile genetic screening and expression, prompt embryonic development and transparent embryo for optical in vivo imaging.…”