Preparation of Chinese medicine Ganoderma lucidum carbon dots and their application photodynamic/photothermal therapy for pancreatic cancer in vitro

Carbon quantum dots (CDs) are a class of zero-dimensional carbon nanomaterials with remarkable fluorescent properties, consisting of carbon nanoparticles with dimensions below 10 nm. Due to its advantages of excellent optical properties, good water solubility and biocompatibility, it shows great potential in photothermal/photodynamic therapy of cancer. In recent years, carbon quantum dots prepared from traditional Chinese medicine as a carbon source have attracted extensive attention from scientists. In this study, we synthesized carbon quantum dots of five Chinese medicines, Ganoderma lucidum, Poria cocos, Dendrobium officinale, Coix lacryma, and Ginger, in one step by a conventional hydrothermal method, and screened out the Ganoderma lucidum CDs with the best fluorescence quantum yields and photothermal conversion properties. The results show that the Ganoderma lucidum CDs prepared in this study, with a particle size of (6.40 ± 1.31) nm, have good in vivo and in vitro fluorescence imaging properties, demonstrating certain tumor targeting properties. And they can generate photothermal/photodynamic synergy to efficiently kill pancreatic cancer cells under the mediation of near-infrared laser. The animal experiment has been approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Guizhou University of Chinese Medicine (No. 20230022).