Aspirin-Based Carbon Dots, a Good Biocompatibility of Material Applied for Bioimaging and Anti-Inflammation

• Published in: ACS applied materials & interfaces 2016-12, Vol.8 (48), p.32706-32716
• Main Authors: Xu, Xiaowei, Zhang, Kai, Zhao, Liang, Li, Chen, Bu, Wenhuan, Shen, Yuqin, Gu, Zhongyi, Chang, Bei, Zheng, Changyu, Lin, Chongtao, Sun, Hongchen, Yang, Bai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - administration & dosage; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - chemistry; Aspirin - administration & dosage; Aspirin - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - administration & dosage; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Bone Marrow Cells - drug effects; Carbon - administration & dosage; Carbon - chemistry; Diagnostic Imaging - methods; Disease Models, Animal; Fluorescent Dyes - administration & dosage; Fluorescent Dyes - chemistry; HeLa Cells; Humans; Inflammation - chemically induced; Inflammation - drug therapy; KB Cells; Male; Mice; Mice, Nude; Quantum Dots - administration & dosage; Quantum Dots - chemistry; Random Allocation; Rats, Wistar; RAW 264.7 Cells; Stromal Cells - drug effects
• ISSN: 1944-8244; 1944-8252
• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b12252

The emerging photoluminescent carbon-based nanomaterials are promising in various fields besides cell imaging and carrier transport. Carbon nanomaterials with specific biological functions, however, are rarely investigated. Aspirin is a very common anti-inflammatory medication to relieve aches and pains. In this study, we have tried to create a carbon nanoparticle with aspirin, and we expect that this new carbon nanoparticle will have both anti-inflammatory and fluorescent biomarker functions. Fluorescent aspirin-based carbon dots (FACDs) were synthesized by condensing aspirin and hydrazine through a one-step microwave-assisted method. Imaging data demonstrated that FACDs efficiently entered into human cervical carcinoma and mouse monocyte macrophage cells in vitro with low cell toxicity. Results from quantitative polymerase chain reaction and histological analysis indicated that FACDs possessed effective anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo compared to aspirin only. Hematology, serum biochemistry, and histology results suggested that FACDs also had no significant toxicity in vivo. Our results clearly demonstrate that FACDs have dual functions, cellular imaging/bioimaging and anti-inflammation, and suggest that FACDs have great potential in future clinical applications.