The endocytic pathways of carbon dots in human adenoid cystic carcinoma cells

Objectives This study aimed at investigating cellular uptake pathways of carbon dots (CDs) in human adenoid cystic carcinoma cell line ACC-2. Materials and methods We synthesized CDs using a hydrothermal method with citric acid and polyethylenimine (PEI, Mw = 25 000). The CDs incubated with the ACC-2 cells showed their bioimaging capabilities using a confocal microscopy test. Flow cytometry was used to analyse cellular uptake pathways of CDs in ACC-2 cells. Results Our findings indicated that CDs possessed good biocompatibility in ACC-2 cells. CDs were endocytosed mainly via micropinocytosis and energy-dependent pathways. Conclusions In general, these findings suggested that CDs had excellent biomedical imaging properties for ACC-2 cells and there was a potential opportunity to develop biomedical applications.