Satwani Vinita, Sahoo Badri Narayana, Nabeela Kallayi, Joshi Abhijeet, Mobin Shaikh M
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol, Khandwa Road, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 453552, India.
Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering (BSBE), Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol, Khandwa Road, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 453552, India.
ACS Omega. 2025 Aug 28;10(35):39555-39566. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c02344. eCollection 2025 Sep 9.
The integration of optical imaging modalities with photothermal therapy (PTT) enables simultaneous oncotherapy and bioimaging, offering improved therapeutic efficacy and enhanced treatment precision. As a result, this approach has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Carbon dots (CDs) are highly stable, biocompatible materials with exceptional fluorescent properties, making them strong contenders for optical bioimaging and photothermal applications. However, challenges remain in synthesizing optimal CDs due to insufficient photothermal conversion efficiency, often requiring high laser power densities and higher CD concentrations for effective photothermal therapy (PTT). In this study, nitrogen-doped lignin-derived CDs (N-LCDs) are synthesized via a green, low-cost route using lignin as the carbon source and ethylenediamine as the nitrogen dopant. The resulting N-LCDs exhibit excellent absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) range, superior photothermal stability, and remarkable biocompatibility. Cellular uptake studies confirmed efficient internalization, while flow cytometry analysis revealed significant apoptosis upon NIR laser exposure, validating their photothermal therapeutic effect. The structural and optical characterization of N-LCDs demonstrates a high photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE ∼ 57.5%), highlighting their potential as effective and safe bioimaging and photothermal agents for in vitro cancer therapy.
将光学成像模式与光热疗法（PTT）相结合，能够实现同步肿瘤治疗和生物成像，提高治疗效果并增强治疗精度。因此，这种方法已成为一种有前景的癌症治疗策略。碳点（CDs）是高度稳定、具有生物相容性的材料，具有出色的荧光特性，使其成为光学生物成像和光热应用的有力竞争者。然而，由于光热转换效率不足，在合成最佳碳点方面仍存在挑战，通常需要高激光功率密度和更高的碳点浓度才能实现有效的光热疗法（PTT）。在本研究中，以木质素为碳源、乙二胺为氮掺杂剂，通过绿色、低成本的路线合成了氮掺杂木质素衍生碳点（N-LCDs）。所得的N-LCDs在近红外（NIR）范围内表现出优异的吸收性能、卓越的光热稳定性和显著的生物相容性。细胞摄取研究证实了其有效的内化作用，而流式细胞术分析显示在近红外激光照射后有显著的细胞凋亡，验证了它们的光热治疗效果。N-LCDs的结构和光学表征表明其具有高光热转换效率（PCE ∼ 57.5%），突出了它们作为用于体外癌症治疗的有效且安全的生物成像和光热剂的潜力。
