Maltase and sucrase inhibitory activities and hypoglycemic effects of carbon dots derived from charred Fructus crataegi

Although carbon dots (CDs) have been widely applied in nanobiotechnology and biomedicine, few studies have evaluated the intrinsic self-bioactivities and no reports have described the disaccharidase inhibitory activities of CDs. In this study, charred Fructus crataegi -derived CDs (CFC-CDs) having an average diameter of 1.3–5.6 nm are developed, without further modifications. Owing to an abundance of surface groups, CFC-CDs show distinct solubility, biocompatibility, and bioactivity. Moreover, CFC-CDs inhibit the catalytic activities of sucrase and maltase in vitro and reduce postprandial blood glucose levels in vivo , possibly by acting as a disaccharidase inhibitor. This discovery provides guidance for further research on the bioactivities of CDs and supports their potential applications in the biomedical and healthcare fields.