Carbon dots from thermally processed Spirulina: Properties, biodistribution and cytotoxicity

IF 9.8 1区农林科学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, APPLIED

Food Chemistry Pub Date : 2025-09-28 DOI:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.146537

Shihu Yang, Han Gao, Siyu Pang, Jianxun Gao, Jingjing He, Yingjie Wang, Dai Cheng

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Foodborne carbon dots (FCDs) are ubiquitous nanoparticles in thermally processed foods that have received attention for potential health risks. Herein, FCDs were extracted from Spirulina by hydrothermal (H-FCDs) and microwave (M-FCDs) methods, and their properties, biodistribution, and biotoxicity were explored. The results showed that H-FCDs had higher nitrogen content, quantum yield, fluorescence stability, and smaller molecular weight than M-FCDs. In vivo experiments indicated that FCDs could distribute in intestine, kidney, liver, and brain of mice, but caused no obvious acute toxicity at 2 g/kg. In vitro studies showed that FCDs were internalized by HT29 and C6 cells, inducing oxidative stress, disrupting Ca²⁺ homeostasis, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Besides, compared with M-FCDs, H-FCDs significantly upregulated Bax, downregulated Bcl-2, promoted the release of Cyt-C, and activated Caspase-3, thereby inducing apoptosis in HT29 cells. These findings provide insights for the potential health risks of FCDs in thermally processed Spirulina foods.

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热处理螺旋藻的碳点：性质、生物分布和细胞毒性

食源性碳点（FCDs）是热加工食品中普遍存在的纳米颗粒，因其潜在的健康风险而受到关注。本文采用水热法（H-FCDs）和微波法（M-FCDs）从螺旋藻中提取FCDs，并对其性质、生物分布和生物毒性进行了研究。结果表明，H-FCDs比M-FCDs具有更高的氮含量、量子产率、荧光稳定性和更小的分子量。体内实验表明，FCDs可分布于小鼠肠、肾、肝和脑，但在2 g/kg剂量下无明显急性毒性。体外研究表明，FCDs可被HT29和C6细胞内化，诱导氧化应激，破坏Ca2+稳态和线粒体膜电位。此外，与M-FCDs相比，H-FCDs显著上调Bax，下调Bcl-2，促进Cyt-C的释放，激活Caspase-3，从而诱导HT29细胞凋亡。这些发现为热加工螺旋藻食品中FCDs的潜在健康风险提供了见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Food Chemistry 工程技术-食品科技

CiteScore

16.30

自引率

10.20%

发文量

3130

审稿时长

122 days

期刊介绍： Food Chemistry publishes original research papers dealing with the advancement of the chemistry and biochemistry of foods or the analytical methods/ approach used. All papers should focus on the novelty of the research carried out.