Tannic acid-derived carbon dots: Dual-function inhibitors against β-amyloid fibrosis and bacterial infections

Alzheimer's disease is a puzzle that has been plaguing mankind for a long time, and amyloid plaque cascade and microbial infection are now widely accepted hypotheses of pathogenicity. In this work, we prepared carbon dots TACDs by solvothermal carbonization using tannic acid and o-Phenylenediamine as precursors. TACDs have abundant functional groups and large conjugated structures, and binds to Aβ42 through hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction and π-π stacking to efficiently inhibit the self-assembly and mis-folding of Aβ42. The existence of a good binding and co-localization capacity between TACDs and the Aβ42 species. TACDs have good biocompatibility and TACDs can rapidly enter the cells within 0.5 h. In an in vitro blood-brain barrier model, TACDs show good BBB penetration ability. Moreover, TACDs have good antibacterial ability and can achieve a dual function. The above results will provide the foundation for the application of polyphenol-derived carbon dots in AD diagnosis and treatment.