Illuminating metabolic disorders with engineered fluorescent carbon dots: advances in biosensing to therapeutics
- 1Analytical Sciences Group, ASSIST Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research Vishvigyan Bhawan, 31 MG Marg Lucknow-226001 India
- 2Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research Ghaziabad 201002 India
- 3Food Toxicology Group, FEST Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research Vishvigyan Bhawan, 31 MG Marg Lucknow-226001 India
Abstract
Metabolic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, dyslipidemia, and hyperuricemia, represent a major global health challenge, necessitating early diagnosis and effective therapeutic strategies. Conventional approaches may face limitations in sensitivity, specificity, and targeted delivery. In this context, carbon dots have attracted considerable interest as versatile nanoplatforms for metabolic biomarker detection, bioimaging, and potential therapeutic applications. Carbon dots are carbon-based, quasi-spherical nanomaterials characterized by tunable photoluminescence, relatively low toxicity, ease of synthesis, and promising biocompatibility. These properties support their investigation for detecting metabolic biomarkers, including uric acid, glucose, and cholesterol, through sensitive and selective fluorescence-based approaches. Their demonstrated sensing capabilities in controlled environments and spiked biological samples provide a foundation for further investigation toward clinical applications. Similarly, carbon dot-based bioimaging of metabolically relevant organs, such as the pancreas and liver, and their antioxidant and drug-delivery properties highlight their potential for advancing future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Advances in surface engineering and heteroatom doping (e.g., nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus) have expanded the potential biomedical applications. CDs are also being investigated as carriers for antidiabetic and lipid-regulating agents, with the potential to improve drug loading, delivery, and release. Furthermore, certain CDs exhibit antioxidant activity that may help mitigate oxidative stress associated with metabolic disorders. These developments highlight the emerging potential of CDs in integrated diagnostic-and-therapeutic, or theranostic, platforms. This review critically examines the applications of CDs in acquired metabolic disorders, emphasizing sensing mechanisms, analytical performance, biological validation, and emerging therapeutic strategies. It also discusses key challenges, including biosafety, biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, long-term toxicity, reproducibility, scalable production, and the gap between laboratory-based findings and clinical translation. Further validation in appropriate biological models and clinical samples is essential before their diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy can be established.
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BibTeX
@article{prasad2026illuminating,
title = {{Illuminating metabolic disorders with engineered fluorescent carbon dots: advances in biosensing to therapeutics}},
author = {Gayatri Prasad and Mansi Srivastava and Sunita Devi and Prabhanshu Tripathi and Vikram Singh},
journal = {RSC Advances},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1039/d6ra08491e},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra08491e},
note = {CC BY-NC 3.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Illuminating metabolic disorders with engineered fluorescent carbon dots: advances in biosensing to therapeutics
AU - Gayatri Prasad
AU - Mansi Srivastava
AU - Sunita Devi
AU - Prabhanshu Tripathi
AU - Vikram Singh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - RSC Advances
DO - 10.1039/d6ra08491e
UR - https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra08491e
AB - Metabolic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, dyslipidemia, and hyperuricemia, represent a major global health challenge, necessitating early diagnosis and effective therapeutic strategies. Conventional approaches may face limitations in sensitivity, specificity, and targeted delivery. In this context, carbon dots have attracted considerable interest as versatile nanoplatforms for metabolic biomarker detection, bioimaging, and potential therapeutic applications. Carbon dots are carbon-based, quasi-spherical nanomaterials characterized by tunable photoluminescence, relatively low toxicity, ease of synthesis, and promising biocompatibility. These properties support their investigation for detecting metabolic biomarkers, including uric acid, glucose, and cholesterol, through sensitive and selective fluorescence-based approaches. Their demonstrated sensing capabilities in controlled environments and spiked biological samples provide a foundation for further investigation toward clinical applications. Similarly, carbon dot-based bioimaging of metabolically relevant organs, such as the pancreas and liver, and their antioxidant and drug-delivery properties highlight their potential for advancing future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Advances in surface engineering and heteroatom doping (e.g., nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus) have expanded the potential biomedical applications. CDs are also being investigated as carriers for antidiabetic and lipid-regulating agents, with the potential to improve drug loading, delivery, and release. Furthermore, certain CDs exhibit antioxidant activity that may help mitigate oxidative stress associated with metabolic disorders. These developments highlight the emerging potential of CDs in integrated diagnostic-and-therapeutic, or theranostic, platforms. This review critically examines the applications of CDs in acquired metabolic disorders, emphasizing sensing mechanisms, analytical performance, biological validation, and emerging therapeutic strategies. It also discusses key challenges, including biosafety, biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, long-term toxicity, reproducibility, scalable production, and the gap between laboratory-based findings and clinical translation. Further validation in appropriate biological models and clinical samples is essential before their diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy can be established.
SN - 2046-2069
ER -