Available and novel plant-based carbon dots derived from Vaccaria Semen carbonisata alleviates liver fibrosis

Yafang Zhao; Ertong Dai; Liyang Dong; Jinye Yuan; Yusheng Zhao; Tong Wu; Ruolan Kong; Menghan Li; Shuxian Wang; Long Zhou; Yingxin Yang; Hui Kong; Yan Zhao; Huihua Qu

doi:10.3389/fmolb.2023.1282929

Available and novel plant-based carbon dots derived from Vaccaria Semen carbonisata alleviates liver fibrosis

Front Mol Biosci. 2023 Dec 4:10:1282929. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1282929. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yafang Zhao¹, Ertong Dai^#², Liyang Dong¹, Jinye Yuan¹, Yusheng Zhao¹, Tong Wu³, Ruolan Kong¹, Menghan Li¹, Shuxian Wang¹, Long Zhou¹, Yingxin Yang¹, Hui Kong¹, Yan Zhao¹, Huihua Qu⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
² Qingdao Eighth People's Hospital, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
³ School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
⁴ Center of Scientific Experiment, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Liver fibrosis represents an intermediate stage in the progression of liver disease, and as of now, there exists no established clinical therapy for effective antifibrotic treatment. Purpose: Our aim is to explore the impact of Carbon dots derived from Vaccaria Semen Carbonisata (VSC-CDs) on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in mice. Methods: VSC-CDs were synthesized employing a modified pyrolysis process. Comprehensive characterization was performed utilizing various techniques, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), multiple spectroscopies, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A hepatic fibrosis model induced by carbon tetrachloride was utilized to evaluate the anti-hepatic fibrosis effects of VSC-CDs. Results: VSC-CDs, exhibiting a quantum yield (QY) of approximately 2.08%, were nearly spherical with diameters ranging from 1.0 to 5.5 nm. The VSC-CDs prepared in this study featured a negative charge and abundant chemical functional groups. Furthermore, these particles demonstrated outstanding dispersibility in the aqueous phase and high biocompatibility. Moreover, VSC-CDs not only enhanced liver function and alleviated liver damage in pathomorphology but also mitigated the extent of liver fibrosis. Additionally, this study marks the inaugural demonstration of the pronounced activity of VSC-CDs in inhibiting inflammatory reactions, reducing oxidative damage, and modulating the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. Conclusion: VSC-CDs exerted significant potential for application in nanodrugs aimed at treating liver fibrosis.

Keywords: Vaccaria Semen; anti-inflammatory; antifibrotic; antioxidant; carbon dots.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Grant for Qihuang Scholars of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Special Funds for Fundamental Research Expenses of Central Universities (2019-JYB-TD-001). We are extremely grateful to the Classical Prescription Basic Research Team of the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.