Synthesis of Procaine-Based Carbon Dots for Bioimaging and Effective Inhibition of Human Colon Cancer Cell Proliferation

The photoluminescent carbon-based nanomaterials have been utilized in various fields, such as biological detection, drug delivery, and bioimaging; however, their specific biological functions have been rarely studied. Procaine (PCA), a local anesthetic FDA approved drug, has been reported as a tumor inhibitor. In our study, we utilized this nontoxic clinical drug to synthesize a type of novel carbon dots, termed P-dots, via hydrothermal synthesis. Imaging data demonstrated that the as-prepared P-dots have a narrow size distribution within 3.3 nm and excellent luminescent properties suitable for bioimaging. Compared with PCA, the P-dots exhibited stronger inhibition efficiency of colon cancer cell (DLD1) proliferation, and similar low toxicity in vitro and in vivo. The anti-cancer activity of the P-dots was suggested to be associated with the caspase-3 related cell apoptosis. Taken together, our results suggest that synthesisof carbon dots from PCA have dual functions of bioimaging and anticancer effect. It can be speculated that these features of P-dots will enable them to be utilized as safe and effective nanomedicines for clinical usage.