Quinoline H 2 S donor decorated fluorescent carbon dots: visible light responsive H 2 S nanocarriers.

Recent studies have shown that the utility of nanocarriers for the transportation of gaseous signalling molecules to their target site in a biological environment is an effective approach. In this work, we have developed for the first time visible light responsive nanocarriers for the effective release of H ₂ S. Our newly developed nanocarriers for H ₂ S release are constructed using two main ingredients: fluorescent carbon dots and quinoline as an H ₂ S donor. The developed nanocarriers provided interesting properties like good solubility under physiological conditions, excellent fluorescence properties and efficient release ability of H ₂ S with good quantum yield upon visible light irradiation. In vitro studies revealed that our designed nanocarriers exhibited abilities like efficient cellular internalization and good biocompatibility.