Carbon dots derived from Beta vulgaris: evaluation of its potential as antioxidant and anticancer agent

Carbon dots (CDs) endowed with outstanding physico-chemical characteristics expeditiously garnered tremendous popularity in the scientific community. CDs can be synthesized from a variety of natural resources and can replace metal semiconductor quantum dots in the range of applications such as bio-imaging, sensing and catalysis. Herein, CDs are green synthesized from Beta vulgaris via a single step hydrothermal approach (b-CDs). The synthesized carbon dots are characterized using UV-visible spectrophotometry, Fluorescence spectroscopy, High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), x-ray diffraction technique (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The b-CDs hence developed exhibited the signature 'excitation-dependent fluorescence emission' with its most intense emission in the green region. The quantum yield for the b-CDs obtained by this synthetic approach evinced an appreciable value of 11.6%. The antioxidant property of b-CDs are evaluated using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay to obtain a maximum scavenging activity of 94.5% at a concentration of 1000 mu g ml(-1) and its underlying mechanisms are illustrated. The blood compatibility of b-CDs are assessed using haemolysis assay and the cytotoxicity evaluated using MTT assay shows significant cell growth-inhibition against the human breast cancer (MCF-7) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines. This succinct study demonstrates the inherent therapeutic potential of biocompatible carbon dots.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the synthesis of green carbon dots (b-CDs) from beetroot using a one-step hydrothermal method. The b-CDs were characterized and their properties, such as fluorescence emission, quantum yield, antioxidant ability, blood compatibility, and cytotoxicity, were evaluated. The results highlight the potential therapeutic applications of biocompatible carbon dots.