Nucleolus-Targeted Photodynamic Anticancer Therapy Using Renal-Clearable Carbon Dots

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Photochemistry

Background:

• Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses light-activated photosensitizers (PSs) to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) for cancer treatment.
• Targeting specific organelles like the nucleolus can improve PDT efficacy, but few PSs achieve this.
• Current PDT strategies often require high doses of PSs and light irradiation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel carbon dots (C-dots) with intrinsic nucleolus-targeting capability for enhanced PDT.
• To evaluate the in vitro and in vivo performance of these C-dots for image-guided photodynamic anticancer therapy.
• To demonstrate improved treatment outcomes at reduced PS and light doses.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of carbon dots (C-dots) as photosensitizers.
• Assessment of C-dots' ROS generation efficiency and fluorescence quantum yield.
• In vitro and in vivo evaluation of C-dots' biocompatibility, targeting ability, and therapeutic efficacy in photodynamic anticancer therapy.
• Image-guided therapy utilizing the fluorescence of C-dots.

Main Results:

• A novel C-dot photosensitizer with intrinsic nucleolus-targeting capability was successfully synthesized.
• The C-dots exhibited high ROS generation efficiency and fluorescence quantum yield.
• Excellent in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility and rapid renal clearance were observed.
• Enhanced photodynamic anticancer therapy performance was achieved at low doses of C-dots and light irradiation.

Conclusions:

• The developed C-dots represent a promising photosensitizer for nucleolus-targeted photodynamic anticancer therapy.
• These C-dots offer enhanced treatment performance, improved safety profile, and potential for image-guided applications.
• The findings support the translational potential of these C-dots for future clinical research in cancer treatment.