Microenvironment-responsive phosphorescence carbon dots for infection visualization and wound regeneration.

Authors

Meng Xue, Jiahui Tan, Zhiheng Li, Jiayi Chen, Lingling Qiu, Bing Qi, Yunyun Zhang, Yurong Wei, Xuewen He, Jie Wang

Published in

Analytica chimica acta. Volume 1421. Pages 346037. Nov 01, 2026. Epub Jul 28, 2026.

Abstract

Embedding carbon dots (CDs) within protective matrices to preserve their room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) has enabled the development of autofluorescence-free biosensing platforms based on CDs. However, current matrices are inherently inert, which inevitably restricts the bioresponsiveness and signal transduction of CDs in biosensing. Moreover, many matrix-encapsulated RTP-CDs suffer from poorly controlled particle sizes, impairing their biomedical applications. There is an urgent need to develop stimuli-responsive and size-controllable RTP-CDs to unlock their full biomedical application potential.
We report a universal strategy for fabricating acid-responsive and size-tunable RTP-CDs with integrated diagnostic and therapeutic functions. Specifically, levofloxacin-derived CDs were synthesized and subsequently encapsulated within CaCO₃ microparticles. The as-designed CDs@CaCO₃ exhibit intense aqueous RTP with a lifetime up to 383.9 ms. The particle size and RTP color of CDs@CaCO₃ can be rationally modulated. CDs@CaCO₃ exhibits a rapid and sensitive response to acidic microenvironments. Furthermore, it offers a linear response over a proton concentration range of 0.1-1.0 mM and excellent selectivity. In S. aureus-infected skin wounds, the CaCO₃ matrix undergoes site-specific degradation in response to the acidic microenvironment and leads to significant attenuation of the RTP signal, enabling autofluorescence-free imaging of bacterial infections. Concurrently, the released levofloxacin-derived CDs effectively eradicate bacteria in wounds and accelerate wound healing within 8 days.
This study establishes a generalizable paradigm for constructing disease microenvironment-responsive RTP-CDs with tunable physicochemical and optical properties, which is expected to significantly advance the applications of CDs in the diagnosis and treatment of diverse acidic pathology-associated diseases, including bacterial infections, tumors, and atherosclerosis.

PMID:
42702454
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Sep 2026.

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