Zwitterionic Carbon Nanodot-Desferrioxamine Conjugate for Improved Efficacy in Iron Overload Therapy

Iron overload, be it primary or secondary, has been associated with several physiological dysfunctions including neurodegenerative diseases, heart failure, liver cirrhosis, etc. Iron chelators, e.g., desferrioxamine (DFO), have been widely used to treat iron overload conditions clinically. However, the unwanted biodistribution coupled with the unfavorable pharmacokinetics of DFO has resulted in the search of alternatives. Herein, we report a DFO conjugated carbon nanodot, derived from glucose and glutamate, as an easy-to-synthesize nanochelator that showed kidney-specific biodistribution and improved circulation half-life. Moreover, the nanochelator showed better efficacy in reducing iron overload in mice compared with the parent chelator DFO, without any signs of systemic or cardiotoxicities.