Carbon dots from purple sweet potato as a promising anti-inflammatory biomaterial for alleviating the LPS-induced inflammation in macrophages
Jiebang Jiang, Zhiyuan Pan, Yujie Su, Lu Dai, Nana Xu, Han Wu, Xin Chen
Abstract
This study synthesizes carbon dots derived from crude extracts of purple sweet potato (CPP-CDs) and evaluates its anti-inflammatory effects in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced acute inflammation model. Characterization revealed that CPP-CDs possess a uniform spherical structure and excellent photoluminescent properties. In vitro, CPP-CDs significantly inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), reduced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), suppressed pyroptosis, and facilitated the polarization of macrophages from the M1 phenotype to the M2 phenotype. In vivo, CPP-CDs significantly improved the survival rates of LPS-treated mice, mitigated tissue damage, and suppressed the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Mechanistic studies indicated that CPP-CDs exert anti-inflammatory effects through the inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and the modulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Additionally, CPP-CDs exhibited excellent biocompatibility, with no significant toxicity observed in mice. This study provides strong evidence supporting the application of CPP-CDs as a novel anti-inflammatory material, highlighting their potential for acute inflammation treatment and expanding the possibilities for the development of carbon-dot-based anti-inflammatory therapies.