A multi-target theranostic nano-composite against Alzheimer's disease fabricated by conjugating carbon dots and triple-functionalized human serum albumin
Abstract
The complex pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves the aggregation and accumulation of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) as well as elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which requires the development of comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. In this work, a multifunctional theranostic nano-composite (HSA-BFP@CDs) is constructed by conjugating triple-functionalized human serum albumin (HSA-BFP) as a theranostic agent targeting Aβ and carbon dots (CDs) as an ROS scavenger. HSA-BFP@CDs exhibits a fluorescence "off-on" effect at 700 nm upon interaction with Aβ aggregates, showing the capability for detection of Aβ plaques and potential for early diagnosis of AD. Besides, HSA-BFP@CDs effectively inhibits the aggregation of Aβ, increasing the viability of Aβ-treated cells from 74% to over 95% at 100 µg/mL. Moreover, multiple ROS, including hydroxyl radicals, superoxide radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and Aβ-Cu 2+-induced-ROS, can be scavenged by HSA-BFP@CDs, thus resulting in the mitigation of cellular oxidative damages. Experiments with the AD model of Caenorhabditis elegans further demonstrate the multifunctionality of HSA-BFP@CDs in imaging amyloid plaques, reducing Aβ deposition, and relieving oxidative stress in vivo, showing the prospect for Aβ- and ROS-targeted AD diagnosis and treatment. This work provided new insight into the design of protein-carbon dots conjugate and the development of multi-target therapy of AD. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, which currently affects over 55 million people worldwide. Due to the complex pathogenesis of AD involving amyloid β-protein (Aβ) aggregation as well as elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), it is highly desired to develop comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. In this paper, we fabricated a multifunctional theranostic nano-composite (HSA-BFP@CDs) via the conjugation of triple-functionalized human serum albumin (HSA-BFP) and carbon dots (CDs). The multifunctionality of HSA-BFP@CDs for efficient detection of Aβ aggregates and inhibition of Aβ aggregation as well as scavenging of ROS was demonstrated, demonstrating the potential of the protein-carbon dots conjugate for the multi-target therapy of AD.
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Many carbon dots exhibit antioxidant activity.
“many CDs exhibit antioxidant activity [78,79,80]”
From Theranostic Nanoplatforms for Alzheimer's Disease: A Critical Analysis of Conceptual Contradictions (2026) · cites this paper as [80]
CD-based platforms exemplify parallel function combinations rather than true synergy, as their imaging and therapeutic capabilities operate independently without mutual enhancement.
“Upon closer examination, CD-based platforms [77,78,79,80] exemplify parallel function combinations rather than true synergy, as their imaging and therapeutic capabilities operate independently without mutual enhancement.”
From Theranostic Nanoplatforms for Alzheimer's Disease: A Critical Analysis of Conceptual Contradictions (2026) · cites this paper as [80]
The effectiveness of therapy is confirmed in most studies on cellular models, where a significant increase in survival of neuronal cells upon exposure to toxic concentrations of Aβ is shown.
“The effectiveness of therapy is confirmed in most studies on cellular models, where a significant increase in the survival of neuronal cells upon exposure to toxic concentrations of Aβ is shown [29,64,72,76,77,78,80,83].”
From Theranostic Nanoplatforms for Alzheimer's Disease: A Critical Analysis of Conceptual Contradictions (2026) · cites this paper as [80]
In nematode models, a significant prolongation of lifespan upon administration of Nps is shown.
“In nematode models, a significant prolongation of lifespan upon the administration of Nps is shown [68,77,78,79,80,81].”
From Theranostic Nanoplatforms for Alzheimer's Disease: A Critical Analysis of Conceptual Contradictions (2026) · cites this paper as [80]
Many studies include an antioxidant component aimed at reducing ROS and an anti-inflammatory effect via delivery of immunosuppressants.
“Many studies also include an antioxidant component aimed at reducing the level of ROS [64,72,78,80,83], and an anti-inflammatory effect, implemented through the delivery of immunosuppressants [70,71].”
From Theranostic Nanoplatforms for Alzheimer's Disease: A Critical Analysis of Conceptual Contradictions (2026) · cites this paper as [80]
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Wang, H. (2025) · C++ Conference · doi:10.3390/c11030058
- Authors
- Wang, W., Lin, X., Dong, X., & Sun, Y.
- Affiliations
- Tianjin University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Sun, Yan
- Venue
- Acta Biomaterialia
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-08
- Volume
- 148
- Pages
- 298-309
- ISSN
- 1742-7061 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4283165345
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 6.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Acta Biomaterialia (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin Science and Technology Correspondent Project (19JCZDJC36800)
- Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin Municipal Science and Technology Commission
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (22178259, 21621004)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Carbon and Quantum Dots Applications
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Interaction Studies and Fluorescence Analysis
- Keywords
- Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-beta, carbon dots, human serum albumin, amyloid aggregation inhibition, reactive oxygen species scavenging, oxidative stress, Caenorhabditis elegans model, multi-target therapy, fluorescence imaging, early detection of Alzheimer's disease
- MeSH terms
- Serum Albumin, Human, Alzheimer Disease, Carbon, Copper, Humans, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Reactive Oxygen Species, Precision Medicine
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