International Journal of Nanomedicine (Oct 2021)
Recent Advances in Functional Carbon Quantum Dots for Antitumour
Abstract
Rong Cai,1 Long Xiao,1 Meixiu Liu,1 Fengyi Du,2 Zhirong Wang1 1Central Laboratory, Zhangjiagang TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215600, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Medicine, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212013, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhirong Wang; Fengyi Du Tel +86 138 6222 4593; +86 159 5290 0513Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are an emerging class of quasi-zero-dimensional photoluminescent nanomaterials with particle sizes less than 10 nm. Owing to their favourable water dispersion, strong chemical inertia, stable optical performance, and good biocompatibility, CQDs have become prominent in biomedical fields. CQDs can be fabricated by “top-down” and “bottom-up” methods, both of which involve oxidation, carbonization, pyrolysis and polymerization. The functions of CQDs include biological imaging, biosensing, drug delivery, gene carrying, antimicrobial performance, photothermal ablation and so on, which enable them to be utilized in antitumour applications. The purpose of this review is to summarize the research progress of CQDs in antitumour applications from preparation and characterization to application prospects. Furthermore, the challenges and opportunities of CQDs are discussed along with future perspectives for precise individual therapy of tumours.Keywords: CQDs, antitumour, drug delivery, phototherapy
