Targeting c-Myc G-quadruplex Structure in Cancer and Bacterial Growth using Carbon Quantum Dots

Abstract

Cancer remains a significant global cause of mortality, responsible for approximately 10 million deaths in 2020, representing nearly one-sixth of all deaths. The prevalent forms of cancer include breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer (involving the colon and rectum), and prostate cancer. The main objective of this study is to develop a straightforward and dependable method for synthesizing highly fluorescent carbon dots using curcumin and quercetin. Several characterization techniques, such as UV-Vis spectra, fluorescence and imaging, FTIR, DLS, and HRTEM were employed to validate the formation of these dots. The resulting fluorescence carbon dots have a wide range of range of practical applications, not only in the biological detection of cancerous cells but also in chemistry, including sensing, and biological imaging. The G-quadruplex region is primarily found in the promoter region of proto-oncogenes. When the G4 promoter region is not stabilized, it allows DNA Polymerase transcribes the proto-oncogene into an oncogene, thereby leading to cancer. Compounds that specifically bind to the G4 promoter region can stabilize the unstable G4 region of the proto-oncogene. If the compound binds and stabilizes the G4 region, DNA Polymerase is hindered from moving, preventing the conversion into an oncogene and thereby preventing cancer. C-Myc is a proto-oncogene that possesses a G4 promoter region responsible for cell proliferation, cell survival , and cell migration. We investigated the role of curcumin carbon dots in stabilizing the G4 promoter region of c-Myc. Curcumin, a natural compound, has been used to synthesize the carbon dots (as previously reported), along with quercetin. However, only curcumin carbon dots were able to stabilize the G4 region, whereas quercetin carbon dots did not exhibit this property. The binding of curcumin carbon dots to the G4 region can be confirmed using Fluorescence Spectroscopy, PCR Stop Assay, Agarose Gel Electrophoresis, which demonstrates the stabilization of the G4 region. Additionally, quercetin carbon dots have shown effectiveness in eliminating bacteria.