Y Xie, L Manarbek, A A Nurkesh, M Khamijan

Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Humanities, Nazarbayev University, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan

In arteries or veins, the majority of the wall mass is composed by ECM (extracellular matrix) and ECM remodeling contributes to the response to stereotypical vascular injury in larger vessels to injurious stimuli. Carbon dots are recently developed nanoparticles with good biocompatibility and low toxicity, but the effects on the vascular system remain elusive. Here, we investigated the carbon dots effect on vascular signalling. We found beet-derived carbon dots increased MMP7 expression targeting ECM, which was disrupted by fibronectin and matrigel, and eventually reversed the carbon dots induced cell death. In addition, carbon dots also induced cell spheroid formation with the potential of stem-like regeneration in PC3 cells. Proteomic analysis revealed the ECM reorganization and stem cell pathways were affected by the carbon dots. Phosphatase activity of the carbon dots was found, which may contribute to the regeneration potential, as alkaline phosphatase is a stem cell marker. Thus, the carbon dots may promote ECM remodeling in vascular damage.