Dual-purpose resveratrol-quantum dots loaded albumin nanoparticles†

Incorporating therapeutic and imaging capabilities into core–shell structured nanoparticles (NPs) has shown promising results in cancer treatment. This study aims to develop paddy husk carbon quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated in bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles with resveratrol (RSV) to enhance antioxidant activity and bioimaging potential. Carbon QDs, approximately 10 nm in size, were synthesized and characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, TEM, and FTIR. The optimized formulation was achieved using a full-factorial design, resulting in a combination of BSA with concentration of 219.004 mg, RSV with concentration of 8.271 mg, and 4 mL of ethanol. The nanoparticles exhibited a particle size of 125.6 nm, a zeta potential of −0.570 mV, 63.06% entrapment efficiency, and 7.173 mg drug content. In vitro assays showed that the nanoparticles enhanced RSV release under mildly acidic conditions, demonstrating efficacy as intracellular drug carriers. Cytotoxicity assays against MDA-MB-231 cells revealed dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity, with 72% cell viability for the optimized formulation at the highest concentration tested. Antioxidant activity was 96% for the optimized formulation, compared to 35–45% for QDs and 80–85% for RSV alone, as measured by DPPH and H₂O₂ assays. Confocal microscopy confirmed the superior imaging capability of the QDs. These findings indicate that QD- and resveratrol-loaded albumin nanoparticles (ANPs) have the potential to serve as effective cancer therapeutic agents and as biological imaging probes.