Aptamer-modified carbon dots for enhancement of photodynamic therapy of cancer cells

Carbon dots (CDs) have emerged as promising materials for photodynamic therapy (PDT) because of their intriguing photochemical properties, high stability, and low toxicity. However, achieving accurate delivery of CDs based photosensitizers into tumor sites remains a grand challenge. Herein, AS1411 aptamer, a short oligonucleotide sequence with high binding specificity to tumor cells, was chemically decorated to the surface of Asp-CDs to obtain Asp-CDs@AS1411. The aptamer modified Asp-CDs@AS1411 not only retains the excellent properties of Asp-CDs such as high singlet oxygen quantum yield (up to 50%), bright photoluminescence, and good stability, but also features specific recognition and markedly enhanced phototoxicity (4 times) to tumor cells. These combined attributes make Asp-CDs@AS1411 a promising PDT agent for efficient tumor treatment. More importantly, the reported strategy paves a new avenue for developing high performance PDT materials from surface functionalized CDs featuring high photosensitivity and targeting ability.

Automated summary

This study chemically modified AS1411 aptamer onto the surface of Asp-CDs, creating Asp-CDs@AS1411 with specific recognition and significantly enhanced phototoxicity to tumor cells. This strategy provides a new approach for developing high-performance materials for photodynamic therapy.