Citation: Haolin Chen, Jieyi Chen, Xiaoyan Liu, Yinglin Xu, Hengyu Liu, Bo Xu, Dongjun Lin, Jun Wu. Self-targeted carbon dots with intrinsic bioactivities for the treatment of lymphoma[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(12): 112317. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.112317 shu

Self-targeted carbon dots with intrinsic bioactivities for the treatment of lymphoma

Haolin Chen ^{a, 1} ,
Jieyi Chen ^{b, 1} ,
Xiaoyan Liu ^{c, d, 1} ,
Yinglin Xu ^e ,
Hengyu Liu ^d ,
Bo Xu ^{a, *,} ,
Dongjun Lin ^{d, *,} ,
Jun Wu ^{e, f, *,}

a.
Department of Anesthesiology, General Hospital of Southern Theater Command of People’s Liberation Army, Guangzhou 510010, China
b.
MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Life Science, College of Biophotonics, School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
c.
Department of Hematology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China
d.
Department of Hematology, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
e.
Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Nansha, Guangzhou 511400, China
f.
Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong 999077, China

xubo333@hotmail.com

lindongjun0168@163.com

junwuhkust@ust.hk

Received Date: 17 October 2025
Revised Date: 22 December 2025
Accepted Date: 23 December 2025
Available Online: 23 December 2025

Figures(5)

Carbon dots (CDs) have garnered considerable attention owing to their distinctive characteristics, including excellent photoluminescence properties, inherent low toxicity and superior biocompatibility. In this study, methotrexate (MTX)-derived carbon dots (M-CDs) were synthesized via a hydrothermal method. This approach not only leverages the distinctive structural features of MTX but also allows for exploring the potential applications of M-CDs. The synthesized M-CDs exhibit excellent photoluminescence while maintaining MTX bioactivity, enabling their application in both bioimaging and cancer therapy. Notably, M-CDs display selective cytotoxicity toward A20 cells while showing minimal effects on normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Subsequently, further investigation revealed that the inhibitory effect of A20 cells is attributed to cell cycle arrest. In vivo fluorescence imaging of mice demonstrated the efficient blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration of M-CDs, highlighting their potential candidates as a theranostic agent for central nervous system (CNS) diseases, particularly central lymphoma. The study illustrates that the converting therapeutic drugs into CDs via carbonization offers a promising strategy for developing multifunctional nanoplatforms capable of simultaneous diagnosis and therapy.
- Carbon dots,
- Methotrexate,
- Blood-brain barrier,
- Theranostics,
- Lymphoma
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沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142