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<p><i>In vivo</i> imaging with biocompatible fluorescent agents such as carbon dots (C-Dots) is becoming increasingly popular in theranostics. This study investigates the efficacy and safety of fluorescent C-Dots derived from <i>Withania coagulans</i> (WC) flowers, as well as their modified version, through <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> experiments. A hydrothermal method was used to synthesize three types of C-Dots, i.e. WC-CD, WC-Cys-CD, and WC-FA-CD, using WC flowers alone and with cysteamine (Cys) and folic acid (FA) respectively. We&#xa0;observed that the surface-modified carbon dots exhibited higher fluorescence quantum yields of 2.13 and 7.27% for WC-Cys-CD and WC-FA-CD compared with unmodified ones (WC-CD; 0.68%). The surface analysis and optical profile confirm the formation of CDs having the crystalline core composed of sp<sup>2</sup> and sp<sup>3</sup> carbons with the average size of 5.4 ± 1.2&#xa0;nm, 5.0 ± 1.5&#xa0;nm, and 5.2 ± 1.3&#xa0;nm for WC-CD, WC-Cys-CD, and WC-FA-CD, respectively, and negative zeta potential values. A detailed structural analysis via XPS and FT-IR shows how modifying agents can lead to distinct surface functionalities. All three C-Dots exhibited excellent cytocompatibility in MCF-7 cells, even at concentrations up to 500&#xa0;μg/mL, along with no significant inhibition of cell growth. However, <i>in vivo</i> studies revealed that cysteamine-modified C-Dots exhibited higher toxicity compared to unmodified and folic acid–modified C-Dots. The higher toxicity of cysteamine-modified C-Dots is attributed to oxidised sulphur species that disrupt cellular redox balance and induce oxidative stress.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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Rational design and in vivo toxicity assessment of multichannel fluorescent carbon dots derived from Withania coagulans in Drosophila melanogaster

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月11日

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  • Pratibha Pansari,
  • Surajita Sahu,
  • Anwar Alam,
  • Piyush Kumar Gupta,
  • Monalisa Mishra,
  • Geeta Durga

摘要

In vivo imaging with biocompatible fluorescent agents such as carbon dots (C-Dots) is becoming increasingly popular in theranostics. This study investigates the efficacy and safety of fluorescent C-Dots derived from Withania coagulans (WC) flowers, as well as their modified version, through in vitro and in vivo experiments. A hydrothermal method was used to synthesize three types of C-Dots, i.e. WC-CD, WC-Cys-CD, and WC-FA-CD, using WC flowers alone and with cysteamine (Cys) and folic acid (FA) respectively. We observed that the surface-modified carbon dots exhibited higher fluorescence quantum yields of 2.13 and 7.27% for WC-Cys-CD and WC-FA-CD compared with unmodified ones (WC-CD; 0.68%). The surface analysis and optical profile confirm the formation of CDs having the crystalline core composed of sp2 and sp3 carbons with the average size of 5.4 ± 1.2 nm, 5.0 ± 1.5 nm, and 5.2 ± 1.3 nm for WC-CD, WC-Cys-CD, and WC-FA-CD, respectively, and negative zeta potential values. A detailed structural analysis via XPS and FT-IR shows how modifying agents can lead to distinct surface functionalities. All three C-Dots exhibited excellent cytocompatibility in MCF-7 cells, even at concentrations up to 500 μg/mL, along with no significant inhibition of cell growth. However, in vivo studies revealed that cysteamine-modified C-Dots exhibited higher toxicity compared to unmodified and folic acid–modified C-Dots. The higher toxicity of cysteamine-modified C-Dots is attributed to oxidised sulphur species that disrupt cellular redox balance and induce oxidative stress.

Graphical Abstract