Carbon dots derived from Beta vulgaris: evaluation of its potential as antioxidant and anticancer agent

S P Smrithi; Nagaraju Kottam; H Muktha; Apurva M Mahule; Keertana Chamarti; V Vismaya; R Sharath

doi:10.1088/1361-6528/ac30f1

Carbon dots derived from Beta vulgaris: evaluation of its potential as antioxidant and anticancer agent

Nanotechnology. 2021 Nov 3;33(4). doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac30f1.

Authors

S P Smrithi¹, Nagaraju Kottam^{1

2}, H Muktha³, Apurva M Mahule⁴, Keertana Chamarti⁴, V Vismaya⁴, R Sharath⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology (An autonomous Institute affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum), Bangalore 560054, India.
² Center for Advanced Materials Technology, M. S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore 560054, India.
³ Department of Biotechnology, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology (An autonomous Institute affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum), Bangalore 560054, India.
⁴ Department of Chemical Engineering, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology (An autonomous Institute affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum), Bangalore 560054, India.
⁵ Department of Food Technology, Davangere University, Shivagangotri, Davanagere 577 007, India.

PMID: 34666320
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac30f1

Abstract

Carbon dots (CDs) endowed with outstanding physico-chemical characteristics expeditiously garnered tremendous popularity in the scientific community. CDs can be synthesized from a variety of natural resources and can replace metal semiconductor quantum dots in the range of applications such as bio-imaging, sensing and catalysis. Herein, CDs are green synthesized fromBeta vulgarisvia a single step hydrothermal approach (b-CDs). The synthesized carbon dots are characterized using UV-visible spectrophotometry, Fluorescence spectroscopy, High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), x-ray diffraction technique (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The b-CDs hence developed exhibited the signature 'excitation-dependent fluorescence emission' with its most intense emission in the green region. The quantum yield for the b-CDs obtained by this synthetic approach evinced an appreciable value of 11.6%. The antioxidant property of b-CDs are evaluated using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay to obtain a maximum scavenging activity of 94.5% at a concentration of 1000μg ml^-1and its underlying mechanisms are illustrated. The blood compatibility of b-CDs are assessed using haemolysis assay and the cytotoxicity evaluated using MTT assay shows significant cell growth-inhibition against the human breast cancer (MCF-7) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines. This succinct study demonstrates the inherent therapeutic potential of biocompatible carbon dots.

Keywords: anticancer; antioxidant; carbon dots; green synthesis; haemolysis.

MeSH terms

Antineoplastic Agents* / chemistry
Antineoplastic Agents* / pharmacology
Antineoplastic Agents* / toxicity
Antioxidants* / chemistry
Antioxidants* / pharmacology
Antioxidants* / toxicity
Beta vulgaris / chemistry*
Biphenyl Compounds / metabolism
Cell Proliferation / drug effects
Green Chemistry Technology / methods*
Hemolysis / drug effects
Humans
MCF-7 Cells
Picrates / metabolism
Quantum Dots* / chemistry
Quantum Dots* / toxicity
Spectrum Analysis

Substances

Antineoplastic Agents
Antioxidants
Biphenyl Compounds
Picrates
1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl