Intratumoral Delivery of High Boron-Containing Carbon Quantum Dots for Enhanced Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

The development of boron-containing carbon quantum dots for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) offers a promising strategy for treating refractory tumors. We synthesized carbon quantum dots with optimized parameters including feed ratio, reaction time, temperature, and pH, followed by a purification process to obtain stable, boric-acid-based boron-rich carbon quantum dots (BAQDs). The large-scale production of BAQDs was implemented by this dependable and simple synthesis method. With a boron content of 15.47 wt %, the BAQDs surpassed the clinical drug boronophenylalanine. It is also the highest recorded in BNCT-related carbon quantum dot materials research. Furthermore, BAQDs exhibited excellent water solubility, stability, and biocompatibility. The experimental results demonstrated that BAQDs exhibited an effective inhibition performance against 4T1 cells under neutron irradiation. Furthermore, BAQDs displayed successful tumor-targeting delivery capabilities. In vivo biodistribution analyses revealed efficient accumulation of BAQDs at the tumor site, with a boron content of 124.32 ± 27.64 ppm 0.5 h post-injection. With their effective boron delivery capability, BAQDs represent a promising boron delivery agent for tumor therapy via BNCT, with substantial potential for clinical application.