Insights into the interaction of human serum albumin and carbon dots: Hydrothermal synthesis and biophysical study

Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon dots (NS-CDs) have been widely studied with high quantum yield (QY). The experimental conditions of three different N,S-CDs were optimized. Emission peak position of three different NS-CDs shown almost remains unchanged or obvious excitation-dependent PL properties, that was likely owed to size distribution. In order to discuss the N,S-CDs stability of photoluminescence property in environment, various experiments such as the photostability, different pH, ionic strengths and temperature were designed. To sum up, three different NS-CDs exhibited discrepancy property. Molecular interaction of three different NS-CDs were produced via vary carbon source with human serum albumins have been investigate by various methods. The quenching mechanism, thermodynamic and kinetic parameters, binding sites, electrochemical behavior of three different N,S-CDs with human serum albumins have some different, but conformational change of three different NS-CDs with human serum albumins alike. The molecular docking had successful applied to study the N,S-CDs interaction with HSA. Different N,S-CDs possessed various characteristic that will have different quenching mechanism when they interaction with human serum albumin, study the mechanism of action at molecular level will help people to choose suitable CDs to apply in nanomedical. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.