Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) is an essential enzyme for regulating the redox balance in cells, promoting cell proliferation, and inhibiting cellular apoptosis. The biochemical pathway of TrxR metabolism involves a series of selenium-sulfur (Se-S) dynamic chemistry. Theoretically, nanomaterials with Se-S dynamic bonds could exhibit TrxR-mimetic activities to tune TrxR activity, affecting cellular activities. Herein, we report the fabrication of Se-S-doped carbon dots (Se-S-CDs), synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The Se-S-CDs exhibited good stability and solubility in an aqueous solution, with a quantum yield of 13.27%. The doping of Se-S bonds endowed the Se-S-CDs with great capability of enhancing the TrxR activity, and consequently, a remarkable promotion of cell viability. The significance of Se-S bonds, as well as CDs’ role as matrices, are discussed. Moreover, the Se-S-CDs could also revive the cells from the damage induced by oxidative stress. The above-mentioned properties demonstrated the potential of the Se-S-CDs for cells and tissues culturing, solving the poor cell viability issue, which is desperately needed for organ transplantation and revitalization of prematurely aging cells, especially those exposed to oxidative stress.

硫氧还蛋白还原酶（TrxR）是调节细胞氧化还原平衡、促进细胞增殖和抑制细胞凋亡的必需酶。TrxR 代谢的生化途径涉及一系列硒-硫 (Se-S) 动态化学。从理论上讲，具有 Se-S 动态键的纳米材料可以表现出 TrxR 模拟活性来调节 TrxR 活性，从而影响细胞活动。在此，我们报告了通过简便的水热法合成的 Se-S 掺杂碳点 (Se-S-CDs) 的制造。Se-S-CDs在水溶液中表现出良好的稳定性和溶解性，量子产率为13.27%。Se-S 键的掺杂赋予了 Se-S-CD 强大的增强 TrxR 活性的能力，从而显着提高了细胞活力。Se-S键的意义，以及 CD 作为矩阵的作用进行了讨论。此外，Se-S-CDs 还可以使细胞从氧化应激引起的损伤中恢复过来。上述特性证明了 Se-S-CDs 在细胞和组织培养方面的潜力，解决了细胞活力差的问题，这是器官移植和过早衰老细胞（尤其是那些暴露于氧化应激的细胞）的再生所迫切需要的。