Preparation of multifunctional carbon dots for targeted antitumor therapy based on ferulic acid and folic acid

Abstract

Carbon dots have demonstrated superior biocompatibility and lower toxicity compared to traditional anticancer drugs in many studies. Given that folate receptor (FR) is a well-established target for cancer therapy and is extensively expressed in various cancer cells, we developed a multifunctional carbon dot using ferulic acid (FEA) and folic acid (FA) as precursors. This design aims to enable the conjugation of FA with FR, thereby achieving tumor-targeted therapy and imaging. We validated the targeted therapeutic efficacy of mFF-CDs on FR-overexpressing HeLa cells through cell viability assays, permeabilization assays, and scratch assays. Furthermore, mFF-CDs effectively inhibited tumor growth in HeLa xenograft mouse models and enabled in vivo imaging. These findings not only contribute to tumor diagnosis but also offer innovative strategies for targeted tumor therapy. Overall, this strategy is expected to overcome the shortcomings of traditional chemotherapy drugs, and promote the development of clinical anti-tumor treatment.