Synthesis and Evaluation of Cytotoxicity of Carbon Dots Functionalized with Diosgenin

Background: Diosgenin is a plant-derived steroidal sapogenin, whose effectiveness has been reported in the treatment of various cancer cells, but its poor bioavailability has always been a limiting factor. Carbon dots are very small nanoparticles with high reactivity and the ability to functionalize with various materials. In this study, by functionalizing carbon dots with diosgenin, we sought to evaluate its cytotoxicity. Materials and Methods: The physicochemical characteristics of carbon dots synthesized by the hydrothermal method were investigated by DLS and SEM techniques. Then, the carbon dots were functionalized with diosgenin. The rate of cell viability and apoptosis on the 3T3 and MCF-7 cell lines were measured after treatment with different concentrations of carbon dots functionalized with diosgenin. Results: According to the flow cytometry data, carbon dots functionalized with diosgenin induced more cytotoxicity compared to free diosgenin in both 3T3 and MCF-7 cell lines through induction of apoptosis. Conclusion: According to the results, the use of carbon dots functionalized with diosgenin causes more cytotoxic effects than free diosgenin. We speculate that this increase in cytotoxicity is probably due to the increased permeability of diosgenin, followed by intense induction of apoptosis.