Engineered Carbon Dots from a Traditional Herb Pair Orchestrate Concurrent Antioxidant and AP‐1‐Mediated Inflammation to Attenuate Renal Ischemia‐Reperfusion Injury (Adv. Sci. 44/2026)

Renal Protection by Herb-Derived Carbon Dots In their Research Article (DOI: 10.1002/advs.75596), Xiaozhi Zhao and co-workers synthesize carbon dots nanozymes from the traditional herbal pair Astragalus membranaceus and Angelica sinensis. The resulting nanomaterial exhibits enhanced antioxidant activity and superior renoprotective efficacy compared with carbon dots derived from either herb alone. The cover depicts a kidney protected by a nanoscale barrier generated by the herb-derived carbon dots, shielding it from oxidative stress and inflammatory injury associated with ischemia-reperfusion injury. In contrast, the unprotected kidney undergoes progressive damage. The artwork highlights the potential of traditional medicinal resources as a source of functional nanomaterials for kidney protection.