A Comprehensive Review of the Application of Carbon Dots as Vaccine Carriers and Adjuvants

Developing next-generation vaccines (such as peptide, DNA, and mRNA vaccines) requires efficient delivery systems and potent immunogenic adjuvants to overcome the inherent limitations of these antigens' immunogenicity. Carbon dots (CDs) have attracted considerable attention in nanomedicine for their unique chemical structure, multiple functional groups, high stability, low toxicity, high biocompatibility and bioavailability, and cost-effective synthesis. This review article explores the dual role of carbon dots as "smart antigen carriers" and "immunogenic adjuvants." The mechanisms of antigen loading, protection from enzymatic degradation, facilitation of uptake by antigen-presenting cells (APCs), and activation of innate immune pathways (such as inflammasome activation and cytokine secretion) are discussed.

کلیدواژه ها:

Carbon dot ، Vaccine carrier ، Adjuvant ، system ، Antigen delivery