Pollen Typhae Carbonisata (PTC) is a type of calcined herb drug that has been used as a hemostatic medicine to promote hemostasis for thousands of years. In this study, we discovered and separated novel water-soluble carbon quantum dots (CQDs, named PTC-CQDs) from aqueous extracts of PTC. These PTC-CDs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM, as well as Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet–visible, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Then, we assessed the anti-hemorrhagic effects and related hemostatic mechanisms of the obtained PTC-CQDs. The PTC-CQDs separated from PTC are spherical, monodisperse, and have a narrow size distribution between 2 and 8 nm. In the pharmacology experiment, remarkable anti-hemorrhage effects of PTC-CQDs were revealed. Additionally, the rats showed a profound decrease in activated partial thromboplastin time and increase in fibrinogen and PLT after PTC-CQDs treatment. These results indicated the explicit hemostasis effect of PTC-CQDs, which not only provided a new idea for the material research of PTC, but have also provided new insights into potential biomedical and healthcare applications of CQDs in the field of haemorrhage control and laid a solid foundation for future drug discovery.

Background: Carbon dots (CDs) with multifaceted advantages have provided hope for development brand-new nanodrug for treating thorny diseases. This study developed a green and simple calcination method to prepare novel CDs as promising drug for psoriasis treatment. The as-prepared CDs using Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex (PCC) as sole precursor were characterized by a series of methods, mainly including electron microscopy, optical technology and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results: Results displayed that fluorescence (Quantum yield = 5.63%) and nontoxic PCC-based CDs (PCC-CDs) with abundant chemical groups exhibited solubility and tiny sizes at average of (1.93 ± 0.53) nm, which may be beneficial for its inherent biological activity. Moreover, by using the typical imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like skin mouse model, we firstly demonstrated the pronounced anti-psoriasis activity of as-prepared PCC-CDs on ameliorating the appearance, psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores as well as histopathological morphology of both back skin tissues and right ears in IMQ-induced mouse. Further potential mechanisms behind the anti-psoriasis activities may be related to suppress M1 polarization and relatively promote M2 polarization of macrophage both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: These results suggested that PCC-CDs have potential to be an anti-psoriasis candidate for clinical applications to treat psoriasis, which not only provided an evidence for further broadening the biological application of CDs, but also provided a potential hope for application nanodrugs to treat thorny diseases. Graphic

In this study, the properties of egg yolk oil (EYO) were investigated. Water extraction, dialysis, and ultrafiltration were used to extract and purify EYO, and microscopy, spectrophotometry, and chromatography were used to identify carbon dots (CDs) present in EYO (EYO CDs). Morphology analyses demonstrated that CDs were almost spherical, with an average size of <10 nm, a lattice spacing of 0.267 nm, and a composition of mainly C, O, and Fe. The solution showed bright blue fluorescence at 365 nm. Tail haemorrhaging and liver haemorrhaging experiments showed that CD-treated mice had significantly shorter bleeding times than did control mice. Coagulation assays suggested that EYO CDs stimulate the intrinsic blood coagulation system and activate the fibrinogen system. Thus, EYO CDs possess the ability to activate haemostasis, which may lead to further investigations of this ingredient of traditional Chinese medicine.

Background: Cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage, also known as “stroke”, is one of the leading cause of death. At present, there is no real specific medicine for stroke. Crinis Carbonisatus (named Xue-yu-tan in Chinese), produced from carbonized hair of healthy human, and has been widely applied to relieve pain and treat epilepsy, stroke and other diseases in China for thousands of years. Results: In this work, a new species of carbon dots derived from Crinis Carbonisatus (CrCi-CDs) were separated and identified. And the neuroprotective effect of carbon dots from CrCi were evaluated using the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. Neurological deficit score and infarction volume was assessed, evans blue content of ischemic hemispheres was measured, the concentrations of inflammatory factors, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the cortex were measured, and the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain were determined. Preconditioning of CrCi-CDs significantly reduced ischemic lesion volume and blood–brain-barrier (BBB) permeability, improved neurologic deficits, decreased the level of TNF-α and IL-6 in MCAO rats, inhibited excitatory neurotransmitters aspartate (Asp) and glutamate (Glu), and increased the level of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). The RNA-Sequencing results reveal that further potential mechanisms behind the activities may be related to the anti-inflammation effects and inhibition of neuroexcitatory toxicity. Conclusion: CrCi-CDs performs neuroprotective effect on cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury, and the mechanisms may correlate with its anti-inflammatory action, which suggested that CrCi-CDs have potential value in clinical therapy on the acute apoplexy cases in combination with thrombolytic drugs. Graphic

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) refers to a tricky clinical disease, known by its high morbidity and mortality, with no real specific medicine for AKI. The carbonization product from Pollen Typhae (i.e., Pu-huang in China) has been extensively employed in clinic, and it is capable of relieving the renal damage and other diseases in China since acient times. Results: Inspired by the carbonization process of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a novel species of carbon dots derived from Pollen Typhae (PT-CDs) was separated and then collected using a one-pot pyrolysis method. The as-prepared PT-CDs (4.85 ± 2.06 nm) with negative charge and abundant oxygenated groups exhibited high solubility, and they were stable in water. Moreover, the rhabdomyolysis (RM)-induced AKI rat model was used, and it was first demonstrated that PT-CDs had significant activity in improving the level of BUN and CRE, urine volume and kidney index, and histopathological morphology in RM-induced AKI rats. It is noteworthy that interventions of PT-CDs significantly reduced degree of inflammatory reaction and oxidative stress, which may be correlated with the basial potential mechanism of anti-AKI activities. Furthermore, cytotoxicity assay and biosafety evaluation exhibited high biocompatibility of PT-CDs. Conclusion: This study offers a novel relieving strategy for AKI based on PT-CDs and suggests its potential to be a related candidate for clinical applications. Graphical

Introduction: The charcoal processed product of Paeoniae Radix Alba (PRA), PRA Carbonisata (PRAC), has long been used for its hepatoprotective effects. However, the material basis and mechanism of action of PRAC remain unclear. Aim: To explore the hepatoprotective effects of Paeoniae Radix Alba Carbonisata-derived carbon dots (PRAC-CDs). Methods: PRAC-CDs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet, fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high-performance liquid chromatography. The hepatoprotective effect of PRAC-CDs was evaluated and confirmed using the classic carbon tetrachloride acute liver injury model. Results: PRAC-CDs averaged 1.0– 2.4 nm in size and exhibited a quantum yield of 5.34% at a maximum excitation wavelength of 320 nm and emission at 411 nm. PRAC-CDs can reduce the ALT and AST levels of mice with carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury and have a mitigating effect on the rise in TBA and TBIL. More interestingly, PRAC-CDs can significantly reduce MDA and increase SOD levels, demonstrating that PRAC-CDs can improve the body’s ability to scavenge oxygen free radicals and inhibit free radical-induced liver cell lipid peroxidation, thereby preventing liver cell damage. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the remarkable hepatoprotective effects of PRAC-CDs against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury, which provide new insights into potential biomedical and healthcare applications of CDs.