Potential nanomedicine applications of multifunctional carbon nanoparticles developed using green technology

Carbon nanonmaterial development through green technology is gaining pace owing to their biocompatibility, inertness, modifiability, and photoluminescence. These smart nanomaterials are much sought after and have great potential in bioimaging and drug delivery. In this study, we focused on the preparation of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) using edible yogurt drink (lassi) by microwave irradiation. The physicochemical properties of synthesized CNPs were extensively studied. Results demonstrated that CNPs had average size of 12.58 ± 0.60 nm with a zeta potential of −24.62 ± 0.15 mV. The cytocompatibility of CNPs assessed using L929 and rat primary vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) demonstrated enhanced viability after 48 h of incubation. At lower concentrations of CNP, intracellular calcium levels remain unaffected in VSMCs. Doxorubicin (Dox) was used as model molecule to evaluate sythesized CNPs for their efficacy in drug delivery. Dox-loaded CNPs (Dox-CNPs) showed pH-dependent (pH 4.6 and 7.4) drug releas...