Donkey-Hide Gelatin-Derived Carbon Dots Activate Erythropoiesis and Eliminate Oxidative Stress for Aplastic Anemia Treatment

Abstract

Aplastic anemia (AA) is a life-threatening hematologic disease with limited therapeutic options. Stalled erythropoiesis and oxidative stress-induced hemocyte apoptosis are the main pathological features of AA, yet therapeutic agents that address these issues remain elusive. In this study, we report distinctive donkey-hide gelatin-derived carbon dots (G-CDs) that enable erythropoiesis activation and oxidative stress elimination to tackle refractory AA. We demonstrate that G-CDs can promote the proliferation and erythroid differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells as well as erythrocyte maturation, activating the whole process of erythropoiesis. Moreover, G-CDs display multienzyme-like activities and dramatically alleviate the oxidative stress of bone marrow and peripheral blood via catalytic scavenging of multiple reactive oxygen species, reconstructing the hematopoietic microenvironment. Intravenously or orally administered to AA mice induced by chemotherapy drugs, G-CDs significantly boost the level of red blood cells and hemoglobin and lead to the complete recovery of hematopoietic function, showing better therapeutic performance than clinically approved erythropoietin (EPO) without adverse effects. By collaboratively addressing the issues of stalled erythropoiesis and oxidative stress, the G-CDs-based intervention strategy may offer a powerful paradigm for clinical AA management.