Bottom-up synthesis of nitrogen and oxygen co-decorated carbon quantum dots with enhanced DNA plasmid expression.

Bottom-up synthesis of nitrogen and oxygen co-decorated carbon quantum dots with enhanced DNA plasmid expression. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2019 Oct 05;184:110543 Authors: Yadegari A, Khezri J, Esfandiari S, Mahdavi H, Karkhane AA, Rahighi R, Heidarimoghadam R, Tayebi L, Hashemi E, Farmany A Abstract In this paper, a bottom-up hydrothermal route is reported for the synthesis of oxygen and nitrogen co-decorated carbon quantum dots (CQDs) using ammonium hydrogen citrate (AHC) as a single precursor. DLS data approved the formation of 4.0 nm (average size) CQDs. XRD pattern shows the interlayer spacing (002) of 3.5 Å for CQDs, which is exactly the same as that of crystalline graphite. XPS and FTIR spectra verified the formation of oxygen and nitrogen functional groups on the CQDs surface. Co-decorated carboxyl, hydroxyl and amine groups on the CQDs surfaces make them as promising polyelectrolyte for gene delivery. Toxicity assay showed a survival rate of 70% under different incubation times and up to 500 μg/mL. The highly water-soluble, stable fluorescence and low toxic CQDs increased the gene expression of DNA plasmid in E. coli bacteria 4-fold more than the control group. PMID: 31627102 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Colloids and Surfaces - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Tags: Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces Source Type: research