This paper reports the formation process and fluorescence mechanism of synthetic carbon dots using citric acid, N-acetyl-l-cysteine and glutathione derivatives as carbon sources.

As novel nanomaterials developed gradually with nanotechnology, carbon dots have been widely applied in medical applications, including disease treatment, drug delivery, antibacterial applications, and phototherapy. Based on the similar process between Chinese medicinal materials for hemostasis and modern carbon dots, this paper reports the preparation of four luminescent carbon dots with Chinese medicinal materials (plants and animals) as carbon sources and the investigation on their hemostatic effects in vitro and in rat bleeding models. It is found that the four studied carbon dots exhibit similar hemostatic effects and hemostatic mechanisms through impacting both endogenous and exogenous coagulation pathways. In addition, these carbon dots all exhibit anti-inflammatory effects and good biocompatibility, ensuring their potential in pretraumatic fields. This work provides a new perspective for hemostatic carbon dots prepared using carbonized natural plants and animals and new ideas for the research of new hemostatic materials.