Carbon dots (C-dots) from cow manure with impressive subcellular selectivity tuned by simple chemical modification

Improved cellular selectivity toward nucleoli staining was achieved by simple chemical modification of carbon dots (C-dots) synthesized from waste carbon sources such as cow manure (or from glucose). The C-dots were characterized and functionalized (amine-passivated) with ethylenediamine affording amide bonds exhibiting bright green fluorescence. The new modified C-dots were successfully applied as selective live cell fluorescence imaging probes with impressive subcellular selectivity and selectively stain nucleoli in breast cancer cell lineages (MCF-7). The C-dots were also tested in four other cellular models showing the same cellular selection in live cell-imaging experiments.