Safety Evaluation of Carbon Dots in UM-UC-5 and A549 Cells for Biomedical Applications.

Simple Summary: Carbon dots (CDs) are carbon-based nanomaterials with versatile applications, including fluorescence imaging, drug and gene transport, drug delivery, medical diagnosis, and biosensing. In this study, we successfully synthesized various CDs without significantly impacting the cell viability of cancer cells, which suggests the potential for future bioimaging and drug delivery applications. These findings contribute to advancing the potential of CDs in various biomedical research contexts. Backgroung: The rising complexity and associated side effects of cancer treatments highlight the need for safer and more effective therapeutic agents. Carbon-based nanomaterials such as CDs have been gaining prominence for their unique characteristics, opening avenues for diverse applications such as fluorescence imaging, drug and gene transport, controlled drug delivery, medical diagnosis, and biosensing. Despite promising advancements in research, it remains imperative to scrutinize the properties and potential cytotoxicity of newly developed CDs, ensuring their viability for these applications. Methods: We synthesized four N-doped CDs through a hydrothermal method. Cell viability assays were conducted on A549 and UM-UC-5 cancer cells at a range of concentrations and incubation times, both individually and with the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Results: The obtained results suggest that the newly developed CDs exhibit suitability for applications such as bioimaging, as no significant impact on cell viability was observed for CDs alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]