Red-emissive nitrogen-doped carbon dots from sisal waste: Facile fabrication and a potent dual-type (I/II) ROS photosensitizer for efficient photodynamic tumor ablation.

Authors

Jiexi Liang, Zhuocai Wei, Chunni Wei, Kai Li, Li Zhou

Published in

Bioresource technology. Pages 135856. Sep 17, 2026. Epub Sep 17, 2026.

Abstract

The valorization of agricultural waste and the development of efficient photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT) remain two pressing challenges. Herein, we report a facile one-pot hydrothermal strategy to convert sisal processing waste into red-emissive nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) using urea as a nitrogen source. The resulting N-CDs exhibit excellent water dispersibility, a uniform size of around 3.26 nm, and a distinct dual-emission feature with a red fluorescence peak at 673 nm. Notably, the N-CDs function as a potent dual-type (I/II) photosensitizer, generating both superoxide anion (O₂^•-) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) upon 660 nm laser irradiation, as confirmed by electron spin resonance spectroscopy and various ROS indicators. In vitro assays demonstrate that N-CDs possess low dark cytotoxicity and induce significant light-triggered cell death. In vivo studies using a 4 T1 tumor-bearing mouse model reveal that intratumoral injection of N-CDs followed by 660 nm irradiation achieves near-complete tumor ablation, accompanied by activation of systemic antitumor immune responses. This work not only offers a sustainable route for sisal waste valorization but also provides a promising red-emissive carbon-based photosensitizer for effective cancer PDT.

PMID:
42754109
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 18 Sep 2026.

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