Green synthesis of carbon dots from Gardeniae Fructus Carbonisata for enhanced gastrointestinal mucosal protection.

Gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal injury management remains challenging due to the limited specificity and pronounced adverse effects of conventional therapies. Inspired by the traditional application of carbonized herbs for mucosal healing, this study developed Gardeniae Fructus Carbonisata-derived carbon dots (GFC-CDs) via a facile one-step pyrolysis. GFC-CDs exhibited a unique quasi-spherical nano-topography with abundant oxygen/nitrogen-rich surface passivation, endowing them with robust broad-spectrum radical scavenging capabilities and potent COX-2 inhibitory activity in vitro. In a TNBS-induced zebrafish model of GI mucosal injury, water-bath administered GFC-CDs significantly restored intestinal lumen architecture and profoundly suppressed neutrophil infiltration, outperforming the conventional clinical drug mesalazine. By integrating traditional carbonization wisdom with green nanotechnology, GFC-CDs present a synergistic therapeutic platform addressing both oxidative stress and inflammatory cascades in GI mucosal injury. This work is consistent with, and provides a nanoscale interpretation supportive of, the carbonized-herbs theory of tissue repair, and provides a novel nanomedicine strategy with promising preclinical potential for targeting complex mucosal disorders.