The current standard treatment regimen for patients with cervical cancer consists of a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, the serious side effects often encountered with chemotherapy drugs greatly limits the effective doses that can be delivered, and hence the treatment of cervical cancer still faces strong challenges. In this study, carbon nanodots, nanodrugs with anti-cervical cancer activity and with negligible toxicity, were prepared from the precursor herbal extract ginsenoside Rg1. The surface of the Rg1 carbon nanodots is rich in hydrophilic functional groups, resulting in good dispersion in aqueous media and high biocompatibility. In Vitro experiments show that the Rg1 carbon nanodots have significant cytostatic and pro-apoptotic effects on HeLa cells, and could inhibit their migration and invasion. Experiments in tumor-bearing nude mice show that the Rg1 carbon nanodots could significantly inhibit tumor growth. Through qPCR validation, the Rg1 carbon nanodots were shown to enhance HeLa cell apoptosis, by regulating the expression levels of Cyto c, Caspase-9, Caspase-3, Bax, and Bcl-2, induce G2/M phase arrest by regulating CDK 1 and Cyclin B1 expression, and inhibit tumor cell migration by modulating CDH1 and β-catenin. Since the precursor Rg1 is a natural herbal extract, negligible toxic side effects were observed in nude mice. The work demonstrates that Rg1 carbon nanodots can be expected to become a potential nanomedicine against human cervical cancer with negligible toxic side effects and excellent therapeutic effects.

Carbon nanodots derived from herbal extract ginsenoside Rg1 demonstrate highly effective inhibition against cervical carcinoma
    Abstract
    1 Introduction
    2 Results and discussion
        2.1 Structural characterization of the Rg1-CDs
        2.2 Stability of the Rg1-CDs
        2.3 Inhibitory effects of the Rg1-CDs on hela cells in vitro
        2.4 Inhibitory effects of the Rg1-CDs on cervical carcinoma in vivo
        2.5 Mechanism of the Rg1-CDs inhibitory effects
    3 Conclusion
    Acknowledgements 
    References

• Jiahui Bao(Jilin Ginseng Academy, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, People’s Republic of China)
• Xuechun Zhou(Jilin Ginseng Academy, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, People’s Republic of China)
• Xiaoyu He(Jilin Ginseng Academy, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, People’s Republic of China)
• Ning Tian(Jilin Ginseng Academy, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, People’s Republic of China)
• Zhe Zhang(Jilin Ginseng Academy, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, People’s Republic of China)
• Tenghui Tian(Jilin Ginseng Academy, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, People’s Republic of China)
• Yu Zhao(Jilin Ginseng Academy, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, People’s Republic of China)
• Rui Jiang(Jilin Ginseng Academy, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, People’s Republic of China)
• Yingnan Jiang(Jilin Ginseng Academy, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, People’s Republic of China, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia) Corresponding author
• Hui Peng(Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia)
• Changkui Fu(Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia)
• Andrew K. Whittaker(Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia)