Green synthesis of high quantum yield tyrosine-derived carbon quantum dots with intrinsic osteo-supportive bioactivity
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Chemistry, C. V. Raman Global University Odisha 752054 India
- 2Biophysical and Protein Chemistry Lab, Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology Rourkela 769008 India
- 3Neural Developmental Biology Lab, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela 769008 India
- 4Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur Jodhpur Rajasthan-342030 India
- 5Center for Nanomaterials, National Institute of Technology Rourkela 769008 India
Abstract
Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) that unite bright, tunable fluorescence with intrinsic biological activity are attractive candidates for theranostic nanoplatforms, yet most existing reports rely on multi-step synthesis or post-synthetic surface passivation to achieve this combination, and the precursors employed rarely engage biology beyond serving as a nitrogen source. Here, nitrogen- and oxygen-co-doped CQDs (designated CQD-P1) were synthesized in a single microwave-assisted step from citric acid and l-tyrosine octyl ester hydrochloride (TYOE), a precursor whose phenolic ring, alkyl ester chain, and ammonium functionality were exploited to simultaneously template a fluorescent, sp2-rich carbon core and impart a cytocompatible, bioactive surface chemistry. Systematic optimization of the citric acid : TYOE ratio, microwave power, and reaction time identified 2.5 g citric acid with 3 mL of 100 mM TYOE (450 W, 4 min) as the optimal condition, yielding monodispersed, quasi-spherical, amorphous-to-turbostratic nanoparticles (3–6 nm) decorated with hydroxyl, carboxyl, amine, and amide surface groups, as established by FTIR, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FESEM-EDX, and HRTEM/SAED. CQD-P1 displayed excitation-dependent, emission (blue, ∼400–420 nm) arising from coupled core- and surface-state radiative recombination, with a relative photoluminescence quantum yield of 37% referenced to coumarin-102. On MG-63-like cells CQD-P1 was not merely non-toxic but pro-proliferative, sustaining cell viability above 100% across the 10–200 ppm range (MTT assay) with a maximum at 50 ppm, a result further corroborated by calcein-AM/propidium iodide live/dead confocal imaging. Moreover, collagen deposition, assessed by picrosirius red staining over 14 days, was higher in CQD-P1-treated MG-63 cells than in untreated controls, indicating an enhanced matrix-forming response. The atom-economic energetically affordable synthesis to simultaneous multicolor bioimaging capability and osteo-supportive bioactivity, establishes tyrosine-ester-derived CQDs as a bifunctional nanoplatform for integrated diagnostic bioimaging and regenerative bone tissue engineering.
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BibTeX
@article{sahoo2026green,
title = {{Green synthesis of high quantum yield tyrosine-derived carbon quantum dots with intrinsic osteo-supportive bioactivity}},
author = {Subhasmita Sahoo and Priyanka Panigrahi and Nimbal Kalita and Arun Kumar Upadhyaya and Mukesh Gupta and Harekrushna Sahoo and Gulmi Chakraborty},
journal = {RSC advances},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1039/d6ra07724b},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13728861},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Green synthesis of high quantum yield tyrosine-derived carbon quantum dots with intrinsic osteo-supportive bioactivity
AU - Subhasmita Sahoo
AU - Priyanka Panigrahi
AU - Nimbal Kalita
AU - Arun Kumar Upadhyaya
AU - Mukesh Gupta
AU - Harekrushna Sahoo
AU - Gulmi Chakraborty
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - RSC advances
DO - 10.1039/d6ra07724b
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13728861
AB - Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) that unite bright, tunable fluorescence with intrinsic biological activity are attractive candidates for theranostic nanoplatforms, yet most existing reports rely on multi-step synthesis or post-synthetic surface passivation to achieve this combination, and the precursors employed rarely engage biology beyond serving as a nitrogen source. Here, nitrogen- and oxygen-co-doped CQDs (designated CQD-P1) were synthesized in a single microwave-assisted step from citric acid and l-tyrosine octyl ester hydrochloride (TYOE), a precursor whose phenolic ring, alkyl ester chain, and ammonium functionality were exploited to simultaneously template a fluorescent, sp2-rich carbon core and impart a cytocompatible, bioactive surface chemistry. Systematic optimization of the citric acid : TYOE ratio, microwave power, and reaction time identified 2.5 g citric acid with 3 mL of 100 mM TYOE (450 W, 4 min) as the optimal condition, yielding monodispersed, quasi-spherical, amorphous-to-turbostratic nanoparticles (3–6 nm) decorated with hydroxyl, carboxyl, amine, and amide surface groups, as established by FTIR, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FESEM-EDX, and HRTEM/SAED. CQD-P1 displayed excitation-dependent, emission (blue, ∼400–420 nm) arising from coupled core- and surface-state radiative recombination, with a relative photoluminescence quantum yield of 37% referenced to coumarin-102. On MG-63-like cells CQD-P1 was not merely non-toxic but pro-proliferative, sustaining cell viability above 100% across the 10–200 ppm range (MTT assay) with a maximum at 50 ppm, a result further corroborated by calcein-AM/propidium iodide live/dead confocal imaging. Moreover, collagen deposition, assessed by picrosirius red staining over 14 days, was higher in CQD-P1-treated MG-63 cells than in untreated controls, indicating an enhanced matrix-forming response. The atom-economic energetically affordable synthesis to simultaneous multicolor bioimaging capability and osteo-supportive bioactivity, establishes tyrosine-ester-derived CQDs as a bifunctional nanoplatform for integrated diagnostic bioimaging and regenerative bone tissue engineering.
SN - 2046-2069
ER -