Immunomodulatory activities of novel carbon quantum dots on in vitro activated mammalian macrophages

Quantum dots have been utilized in medicine and biology due to their biocompatibility as well as fluorescent properties. In medicinal and biological applications, they have been widely used for their in vivo imaging capacities as well as drug delivery and depending on the functional groups sometimes as treatment agents. In most of the studies, their possible immunomodulatory roles are omitted and in our study, we aimed to generate a series of novel carbon quantum dots that can be used as drug delivery vehicle or as active ingredient against inflammation. These novel carbon quantum dots were tested on the in vitro activated mammalian macrophages to examine their effects on the production of the inflammatory cytokines by ELISA method. Our results suggest that depending on the functional groups, there were differential immunomodulatory activities of these novel carbon quantum dots.

Automated summary

Quantum dots are widely used in medicine and biology for their biocompatibility and fluorescent properties, particularly in in vivo imaging and drug delivery. However, their immunomodulatory roles have often been overlooked. In our study, we aimed to develop novel carbon quantum dots for drug delivery and anti-inflammatory effects. We tested these dots on activated mammalian macrophages and found that their immunomodulatory activities varied depending on the functional groups.