Water Soluble Carbon Dots for Target Cancer Drug Delivery Bio-Imaging

摘要

Biologists for years have been thinking to visualize the movement and action of proteins and other molecules in and around cells and tissues. Water-soluble carbon nano-materials are introduced as a nontoxic, fluorescent reagent; enabling a living species to be imaged alive. This extends the possibility of tagging drug molecules so that they can be delivered to the proper site guided by image movement of the fluorescent tag. Our research has produced water soluble fluorescent multi-walled Carbon Dots ( C. Dots) and water soluble carbon nanotubes (wsCNTs) by functionalization of the surfaces and with no external passivation of surfaces with any organic wrappers. These carbon nano materials are produced from simple natural organic resources on pyrolysis and not from the commonly used laser ablation techniques on graphitic carbon. We have successfully conjugated these water-soluble functionalized C.Dots and CNTs with Paclitaxel and Gemcitabine. Initial in vitro studies on certain cancer cell lines at Johns Hopkins have shown no cytotoxicity.