Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Fluorescence, cilt.36, sa.5, ss.3451-3465, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Carbon nanodots were synthesized from Chaenomeles speciosa flowers and comprehensively characterized. UV–Vis analysis revealed a broad absorption band from 200 to 400 nm, attributed to π→π* (200–250 nm) and n→π* (250–350 nm) transitions, while fluorescence under 365 nm excitation showed bright blue emission. HRTEM images indicated spherical nanoparticles forming clustered aggregates, with lattice fringes exhibiting interplanar spacings of 0.091–0.093 nm, confirming a partially graphitic structure. XRD analysis showed a broad amorphous baseline in the 10–40° 2θ range, indicating low crystallinity. FTIR and XPS analyses identified abundant surface –OH, C = O, and C–O groups, with elemental composition of C 68.28%, O 23.03%, N 6.70%, S 0.40%, and Si 1.59%, resulting in a C/O ratio of 2.97. Chaenomeles speciosa quantum dots (CS-CQDs) exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-231 cells (viability: 70% at 2.5 mg/mL, 60% at 5 mg/mL) and HeLa cells (approximately 50% at 2.5–5 mg/mL), with minimal effects on hTERT-HME1 cells (viability greater than 85% at 0.6 mg/mL). Apoptosis increased from 25% to 55% in MDA-MB-231, from 24% to 65% in HeLa, and from 5.9% to 25% in HME1, with negligible necrosis. Gene expression analyses showed NF-κB upregulation (3-fold in MDA-MB-231; 6-fold in HeLa), BAX and BCL-2 upregulation in HeLa (approximately 2.5-fold), and downregulation of HIF1A, IL-6, MMP2, and MMP9. Wound healing assays indicated reduced migration in MDA-MB-231 (44% to 21%), increased migration in HeLa (18.7% to 30%), and minimal change in HME1 (73.5% to 71.5%). These results demonstrate that CS-CQDs possess favorable optical and structural properties and selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells, with minimal impact on non-cancerous cells, highlighting their potential as targeted anticancer nanomaterials.