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Adverse effect assessment of fluorescent carbon dots in cigarette smoke

Abstract:

The potential adverse effects or health risks of nanostructures produced in smoking tobacco have drawn considerable attention. Herein, the presence of fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) in cigarette smoke was confirmed, and their physicochemical property and potential toxicity were evaluated as well. The cigarette CDs were spherical and the size was mainly falling within 2–4 nm. Under ultraviolet excitation, the cigarette CDs emitted brilliant blue fluorescence with a quantum yield of 2.64%. Importantly, the cigarette CDs disturbed cell cycle and caused cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. The metabolomics evaluation showed that the CDs resulted in the up-regulation of glycolysis, down-regulation of amino acids and metabolic disorder of lipids, demonstrating a significant metabolism shift in HepG2 cells upon exposure to the cigarette CDs. Our findings provided valuable information on the existence of CDs in cigarette smoke and their adverse effect on live cells.