Carbon dots derived from Aicao (Artemisia argyi) and Honey induce cancer cell death by targeting MET kinase

Aigerim Tassanbiyeva, Gulziya Toktau, Hujie Song, Yingqiu Xie

2025

Full text Open access: Gold Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.11134/btp.3s.2025.38
Data confidence 70 medium
How this score is calculated

It is built from checkable properties of the record itself: whether the article has a DOI, how many independent sources confirmed its data, whether the required fields are filled in, and how recent the latest confirmation is. Disagreement between sources and a missing identifier lower it. A value of 80 or above means the record was published without further checking; 60 to 79 means it is published at reduced confidence, with a manual check advisable. A record verified by an editor by hand is never pushed below 90 by a recalculation. This scores our data about the article, not the article itself.

Abstract

Background: Carbon dots are increasingly recognized as promising nanomaterials for bioimaging and anticancer applications. Nevertheless, the biological role of multi-herb–derived carbon dots remains poorly characterized. Materials and methods: Carbon dots were synthesized from Aicao (Artemisia argyi) and Honey (AC/H). Their physical and biochemical properties were analyzed using zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, and enzyme activity assays. Results: AC/H carbon dots displayed an average size of ~100 nm. When combined with the MET kinase inhibitor crizotinib or the PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002, the particles reached 150–200 nm, suggesting stable complex formation. AC/H treatment led to significant cancer cell death, which was reversed by NAC, indicating a ROS-dependent mechanism. Confocal microscopy demonstrated AC/H fluorescence under UV light and Golgi localization, pointing to potential interference with protein phosphorylation pathways. Furthermore, AC/H showed strong anti- peroxidase and phosphatase activity. Importantly, co-treatment with AC/H and either crizotinib or LY294002 resulted in greater cytotoxicity compared with single treatments. Conclusion: The study suggests that AC/H carbon dots act as ROS-dependent, Golgi-targeted nanostructures with enzyme-like activity. Their combination with kinase inhibitors enhances anticancer efficacy, highlighting AC/H as a potential candidate for fluorescence-guided drug delivery systems in cancer therapy. Acknowledgement: This work was supported by Xi’an TCM Hospital of Encephalopathy and School of Sciences and Humanities, Nazarbayev University. Key words: Carbon dots, Aicao, Honey, MET kinase, ROS, cancer References: Lim, S.Y., Shen, W., Gao, Z. Carbon quantum dots and their applications. Chem. Soc. Rev. 44, 362–381 (2015). Li, H., Kang, Z., Liu, Y. et al. Carbon nanodots: synthesis, properties and applications. J. Mater. Chem. 22, 24230–24253 (2012). Zhou, J., Booker, C., Li, R. et al. Fluorescent carbon nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization and bioimaging application. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 46, 7314–7318 (2007). Duan, X., Li, Y. Physicochemical characteristics of carbon dots and their application in drug delivery. Small 15, 1805087 (2019). Shi, Y., Pan, Y., Zhang, H. et al. Targeting MET for cancer therapy: therapeutic strategies and clinical development. Signal Transduct. Target. Ther. 8, 13 (2023).