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Green synthesis of multifunctional fluorescent carbon dots from mulberry leaves (Morus alba L.) residues for simultaneous intracellular imaging and drug delivery

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Abstract

Fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) were directly synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of medicinal mulberry leaves (Morus alba L.) residues without the need for any chemical reagent. The CDs were collected successively through filtration, centrifugation, and dialysis from the resultant solution. The as-purified CDs were almost non-cytotoxic and successfully used for the intracellular fluorescence imaging of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2). Due to the presence of plentiful surface groups, the CDs were further used as drug carriers for the loading of Lycorine, an anti-cancer alkaloidal extracted from bulbs of Lycoris radiata L. Importantly, the Lycorine-loaded CDs were successfully applied for simultaneous intracellular imaging and drug delivery for the better anti-cancer cell activity. The present work both provides a strategy for the reuse of medicinal herb residues for the preparation of CDs and promotes a potential application of CDs in biomedicine and bioimaging.

Green synthetic procedure of CDs using mulberry leaves residues.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 81873089 and 81774148) and the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin, China (Grant No. 18JCYBJC94700).

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Author notes

  1. Yingying Shao and Caoyuan Zhu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China

    Yingying Shao, Zhifei Fu, Yanxu Chang, Lifeng Han, Haiyang Yu & Fei Tian

  2. Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhoukou Central Hospital, Zhoukou, 466000, Henan, People’s Republic of China

    Caoyuan Zhu

  3. Tianjin Key Laboratory of TCM Chemistry and Analysis, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, People’s Republic of China

    Zhifei Fu, Yanxu Chang, Lifeng Han, Haiyang Yu & Fei Tian

  4. Analytical Instrumentation Centre, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People’s Republic of China

    Kui Lin

  5. Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China

    Yidan Wang

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  1. Yingying Shao
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Correspondence to Haiyang Yu or Fei Tian.

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Shao, Y., Zhu, C., Fu, Z. et al. Green synthesis of multifunctional fluorescent carbon dots from mulberry leaves (Morus alba L.) residues for simultaneous intracellular imaging and drug delivery. J Nanopart Res 22, 229 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-04917-4

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