Quinoline H2S donor decorated fluorescent carbon dots: visible light responsive H2S nanocarriers.

Recent studies have shown that the utility of nanocarriers for the transportation of gaseous signalling molecules to their target site in a biological environment is an effective approach. In this work, we have developed for the first time visible light responsive nanocarriers for the effective release of H2S. Our newly developed nanocarriers for H2S release are constructed using two main ingredients: fluorescent carbon dots and quinoline as an H2S donor. The developed nanocarriers provided interesting properties like good solubility under physiological conditions, excellent fluorescence properties and efficient release ability of H2S with good quantum yield upon visible light irradiation. In vitro studies revealed that our designed nanocarriers exhibited abilities like efficient cellular internalization and good biocompatibility.