Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
49th FEBS Congress, İstanbul, Türkiye, 5 - 09 Temmuz 2025, ss.276, (Özet Bildiri)
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among womenworldwide, and its early detection is crucial for better prognosis.Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) which are semiconductor-biocompatible, easily modifiable nanocrystals are used asbioimaging agents thanks to their unique properties such asphotostability. The effects of their modifications on cell death atmolecular level have not yet been examined. In this study, it wasaimed to investigate the effects of PEGylation and cellpenetrating peptide (CPP) physical adsorption to the CQDs on cell viability, apoptosis, and cellular localization of the material,and investigate the potential of the bare or modified CQDs inbreast cancer theranostics. To achieve this aim, CQDs weresynthesized with a new method, hot bubble synthesis, developedby our group, coated with PEG polymer and a CPP, Pep-1, vianon-covalent interactions. The most optimized PEG coating wasfound to be stirred at 300 rpm by drop-wise addition of thePEG, and PEGylated CQDs displayed ≈154 nm hydrodynamicdiameter, had spherical morphology, and were negativelycharged (≈-28.3 mV) but had higher charge than bare CQDs(≈-41.5 mV). Pep-1 physical absorption to bare or PEGylatedCQDs was found to be the most optimum at 16:1 (peptide:CQD)(w/w) ratio and Pep-1 absorbed bare or PEGylated CQDs had≈284.8 and ≈263.8 nm hydrodynamic diameter and had ≈-1.70and -2.89 mV surface charge respectively. Bare or modifiedCQDs showed fluorescent property under 385, and 475 nm. Theeffects of the PEGylation and Pep-1 addition to the CQDs oncell viability, cell localization, and apoptosis of the MCF-7 andHEK293 cells are still being investigated with CCK-8 assay,confocal microscope, and western blotting for checking certainproteins’ levels (total Caspase 3, cleaved Caspase 3, Bcl-2 andBax). Thus, it is expected the bare or modified CQDs to have a huge potential for breast cancer theranostics, and this will bestated with the study.