2021
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21080-z
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Photodegradation of carbon dots cause cytotoxicity

Abstract: Carbon dots (CDs) are photoluminescent nanomaterials with wide-ranging applications. Despite their photoactivity, it remains unknown whether CDs degrade under illumination and whether such photodegradation poses any cytotoxic effects. Here, we show laboratory-synthesized CDs irradiated with light degrade into molecules that are toxic to both normal (HEK-293) and cancerous (HeLa and HepG2) human cells. Eight days of irradiation photolyzes 28.6-59.8% of the CDs to <3 kilo Dalton molecules, 1431 of which are d… Show more

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Cited by 124 publications
(64 citation statements)
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“…Even though light affects the antimicrobial properties of CDs synthesized from citric acid and beta-alanine, our results indicate that longer incubations in the dark are also able to prevent bacterial growth indicating that these CDs also carry antimicrobial properties that are not light-dependent. A recent report on cytotoxic side effects of photodegraded carbon dots on normal and cancerous human cells [ 28 ] indicates a demand for CDs that do not require photoactivation to gain antimicrobial properties. Hence, CDs synthesized from citric acid +beta-alanine can be an alternative for antimicrobial photo-independent carbon dots.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Even though light affects the antimicrobial properties of CDs synthesized from citric acid and beta-alanine, our results indicate that longer incubations in the dark are also able to prevent bacterial growth indicating that these CDs also carry antimicrobial properties that are not light-dependent. A recent report on cytotoxic side effects of photodegraded carbon dots on normal and cancerous human cells [ 28 ] indicates a demand for CDs that do not require photoactivation to gain antimicrobial properties. Hence, CDs synthesized from citric acid +beta-alanine can be an alternative for antimicrobial photo-independent carbon dots.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Although the prospects for the use of CDs in nanomedicine are broad, the potential risks arising from interactions between CDs and biological systems must also be considered [50,55,56]. We have already published several papers focusing on the biological use and cytotoxicity of different types of carbon dots [46,53,57].…”
Section: Biocompatibility Of Carbon Dotsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…However, most of these studies focused on either fluorescent diagnosis or anticancer activity, few concentrated on the intrinsic theranostic applications [ 19 ]. Moreover, CQDs may irradiate with light degrade into molecules that are toxic to both normal and malignant cells [ 25 ]. Therefore, it is imperative to design synthetic CQDs for theranostics using natural carbon sources as precursors without organic solvents.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%