Biogenic synthesis of nascent and nitrogen doped carbon dots from Cordia dichotoma G. Forst: Morphological, optical and therapeutic insights for HepG2 cancer cell line therapy

This study explores the green synthesis of carbon dots (CDs) from Cordia dichotoma and Nitrogen doped carbon dots (NCDs) using ethylene di-amine as a nitrogen source. The optical, morphological, and structural properties of CDs and NCDs were examined using various characterization techniques, revealing spherical shapes, turbostratic carbon phases, and hydrodynamic sizes of 133.9 nm (CDs) and 119.6 nm (NCDs) with zeta potentials of + 3.3 mV and + 9.2 mV, respectively. Biological analyses on HepG2 cells demonstrated IC 50 values of 429.1 µg/mL (CDs) and 604.5 µg/mL (NCDs), improved cell viability (78.5 % for CDs, 78.7 % for NCDs). Apoptosis analysis showed CDs and NCDs induced early and late apoptosis phases at 2.3 % and 7.9 %, and 3.6 % and 9.5 %, respectively, while reducing necrosis to 11.3 % and 8.2 %. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) studies indicated a substantial increase in high MMP for CDs (315.56 %) and NCDs (135.56 %) compared to the control. Furthermore, ROS estimation revealed higher MFI-positive cells for CDs (33.67 %) and NCDs (29.18 %) relative to the control (19.21 %). These results highlight the potential of green-synthesized and nitrogen-doped CDs as therapeutic agents with enhanced stability and biological activity. The findings underscore the utility of green synthesis and heteroatom doping in enhancing the functional properties of CDs.