Herbal Medicine-Inspired Carbon Quantum Dots with Antibiosis and Hemostasis Effects for Promoting Wound Healing

Bleeding and bacterial infections are crucial factors affecting wound healing. The usage of herbal medicine-derived materials holds great potential for promoting wound healing. However, the uncertain intrinsic effective ingredients and unclear mechanism of action remain great concerns. Herein, inspired by the herbal medicine Ligusticum wallichii, we reported the synthesis of tetramethylpyrazine-derived carbon quantum dots (TMP-CQDs) for promoting wound healing. Of note, the use of TMP as the precursor instead of L. wallichii ensured the repeatability and homogeneity of the obtained products. Furthermore, TMP-CQDs exhibited high antibacterial activity. Mechanically, TMP-CQDs inhibited the DNA repair, biosynthesis, and quorum sensing of the bacteria and induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, TMP-CQDs could accelerate blood coagulation through activating factor VIII and promoting platelet aggregation. Effective wound healing was achieved by using TMP-CQDs in the Staphylococcus aureus -infected mouse skin wound model. This study sheds light on the development of herbal medicine-inspired materials as effective therapeutic drugs.