DNA–Carbon Dots Function as Fluorescent Vehicles for Drug Delivery

Carbon dots (CDs) are a new representative in the carbon-based material family, attracting tremendous interest in a large variety of fields, including biomedicine. In this report, we described a facile and green system for synthesizing DNA–CDs using genomic DNA isolated from Escherichia coli. DNA–CDs can be purified using a simple column centrifugation-based system. During DNA–CD synthesis, ribose was collapsed, accompanied by the release of nitrogen, and several new bonds (C–OH, N–O, and N–P) were formed, while the other covalent bonds of DNA were largely maintained. The presence of abundant chemical groups, such as amino or hydroxyl groups on DNA–CDs, may facilitate their future functionalization. These highly biocompatible DNA–CDs can serve as a new type of fluorescent vehicle for cell imaging and drug delivery studies. Our research may hasten the development of CDs for prominent future biomedical applications.