Protective layer β-cyclodextrin within peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) shells’ nanoparticles enhances intracellular stable fluorescence for bioimaging applications: An in vitro and in silico study

Owing to their excellent fluorescence behavior in the past decades, carbon nanoparticles have gained remarkable attention for a wide range of biomedical applications. However, the synthesis and solubility of carbon nanoparticles in an aqueous solution remains a challenging area of study. In this work, we synthesized carbon nanoparticles from peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) shells with a protected layer of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as a highly stable fluorescent material for bioimaging applications. These nanoparticles possess highly stable photoluminescence and optical absorption properties in an aqueous solution. Additionally, in vitro kinetic stability confirmed that β-CD-coated carbon nanoparticles are stable under serum-rich environments and exhibit antihemolytic properties. Predominantly, in vitro cytotoxicity studies clearly demonstrated that β-CD-coated carbon nanoparticles possess cytotoxicity, rapid intracellular uptake, and stable fluorescence under HeLa cells. Moreover, an in-silico study confirmed that β-CD-coated carbon nanoparticles could specifically interact with the target protein of CDK-2, which plays a role in inhibiting cancer cell growth. Hence, this new study has shown that in tracking cancer cells, high-value-added peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) shells with a β-CD protective layer are effective in improving solubility and intracellular fluorescence.