Doxorubicin entrapped carbon dots (DOX-CDs) were prepared for bioimaging and enhanced intracellular drug delivery. The CDs were synthesized via the hydrothermal method using citrate and urea under 200 °C for 1 h. Then, DOX was successfully conjugated on the CDs via physicochemical interactions. The DOX-CDs exhibited good crystal structure, remarkable aqueous stability, excellent photoluminescence property, and a high quantum yield of 93%. The fluorescent images revealed that the DOX-CDs could be readily taken up by the cancer cells for cell labeling. Furthermore, endo-lysosomal pH-assisted DOX release behavior was observed from DOX-CDs, and the cytotoxicity of DOX-CDs was confirmed by the MTS assay against H0-8910 ovarian cancer cells. In addition, the CDs indicated bright fluorescent signal in the animal imaging test and demonstrated low toxicity after administration for 7 and 21 days. Therefore, the prepared CDs could be a promising imaging probe for biomedical imaging and intracellular drug delivery.

制备阿霉素包埋碳点 (DOX-CD) 用于生物成像和增强细胞内药物递送。 CDs是使用柠檬酸盐和尿素在200℃下1小时通过水热法合成的。然后，DOX 通过物理化学相互作用成功地缀合在 CD 上。 DOX-CDs表现出良好的晶体结构、显着的水稳定性、优异的光致发光性能和高达93%的量子产率。荧光图像显示 DOX-CD 可以很容易地被癌细胞吸收用于细胞标记。此外，从 DOX-CD 中观察到溶酶体内 pH 辅助的 DOX 释放行为，并且通过针对 H0-8910 卵巢癌细胞的 MTS 测定证实了 DOX-CD 的细胞毒性。此外，CD在动物成像测试中显示出明亮的荧光信号，并且在给药7天和21天后表现出低毒性。因此，制备的 CD 可能成为生物医学成像和细胞内药物递送的有前途的成像探针。