title: Highly fluorescent carbon dots for visible sensing of doxorubicin release based on efficient nanosurface energy transfer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To prepare fluorescent carbon dots for loading cationic anticancer drug through donor-quenched nanosurface energy transfer in visible sensing of drug release.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Highly fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) were prepared by a facile hydrothermal approach from citric acid and o-phenylenediamine. The obtained CDs showed a high quantum yield of 46 % and exhibited good cytocompatibility even at 1 mg/ml. The cationic anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) can be loaded onto the negatively charged CDs through electrostatic interactions. Additionally, the fluorescent CDs feature reversible donor-quenched mode nanosurface energy transfer. When loading the energy receptor DOX, the donor CDs' fluorescence was switched "off", while it turned "on" again after DOX release from the surface through endocytic uptake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most DOX molecules were released from the CDs after 6 h incubation and entered cell nuclear region after 8 h, suggesting the drug delivery system may have potential for visible sensing in drug release.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biotechnology, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Beibei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Division of Biotechnology, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Shujun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Division of Biotechnology, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Yanfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Division of Biotechnology, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Division of Biotechnology, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Division of Biotechnology, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China.
authors.forename: Xiaojun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Division of Biotechnology, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China. mqtan@dicp.ac.cn.|Liaoning Key Laboratory of Food Biological Technology, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, 1 Qinggongyuan, Ganjingzi District, Dalian, 116034, China. mqtan@dicp.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Mingqian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D002244:Carbon; D004317:Doxorubicin
keywords: Carbon dot; Doxorubicin; Drug delivery; Nanosurface energy transfer; Visible release