ArticleInternational journal of nanomedicine2026
Glutathione-Responsive Disulfiram Delivery from Thiol-Functionalized N-Doped Carbon Nanodots: An in vitro Proof-of-Concept Study.
Article in International journal of nanomedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose: To develop and evaluate a glutathione (GSH)-responsive "Off-On" drug delivery system based on thiol-functionalized N-doped carbon dots (SNCDs) for controlled intracellular release of disulfiram (DSF). Materials and Methods: SNCDs were synthesized using a solvothermal technique and subsequently characterized using dynamic laser scattering, high-resolution electron imaging, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). DSF was immobilized onto SNCDs through redox-cleavable disulfide linkages, and loading efficiency was determined by UV-Vis analysis. The in vitro drug release kinetics were examined under simulated physiological (pH 7.4) and tumor-relevant acidic (pH 5.4) conditions, evaluating the impact of glutathione (GSH) by performing experiments with and without its inclusion. Cytotoxicity and compatibility studies in MCF-7 breast tumor cells, evaluated via MTT test, were used to investigate SNCD biocompatibility and the anticancer performance of DSF-SNCDs. Results: The FTIR spectra confirmed effective thiol functionalization and revealed oxygenated and nitrogenous groups on the particle surface suitable for disulfide linkage formation. DSF loading efficiency reached approximately 75%. Under non-reducing conditions, DSF-SNCDs exhibited minimal premature release (≤30% over 24 h at pH 7.4 and 5.4), demonstrating an "Off" state. In contrast, the presence of 5% (w/v) GSH at pH 5.4 triggered rapid DSF release, achieving approximately 80% cumulative release within 24 h, corresponding to the "On" state through reductive disulfide bond cleavage. Bare SNCDs showed high biocompatibility (>85% cell viability at 50 µg/mL), whereas DSF-SNCDs produced significantly enhanced cytotoxicity under GSH conditions, confirming redox-activated drug release. Conclusion: SNCDs provide an effective GSH-responsive nanoplatform for DSF delivery, combining high drug loading, excellent stability under non-reducing conditions, and efficient intracellular drug release under reductive environments. This strategy minimizes premature drug leakage while enhancing anticancer activity, demonstrating strong potential for cancer therapy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.