One-Pot Synthesis of Lanthanum-Doped Carbon Dots From Fumaroyldiglycine With Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities

Peshawa Shafiq Osw; Hazha Omar Othman; Mohammed Kareem Samad; Rebwar Muhammad Hamasalih; Media Noori Abdullah; Diyar Salahuddin Ali; Farouq Emam Hawaiz; Rebwar Omer Hassan

doi:10.1002/cbdv.202500745

One-Pot Synthesis of Lanthanum-Doped Carbon Dots From Fumaroyldiglycine With Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities

Chem Biodivers. 2025 May 30:e00745. doi: 10.1002/cbdv.202500745. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Peshawa Shafiq Osw¹, Hazha Omar Othman^{1

2}, Mohammed Kareem Samad³, Rebwar Muhammad Hamasalih⁴, Media Noori Abdullah¹, Diyar Salahuddin Ali^{1

5}, Farouq Emam Hawaiz³, Rebwar Omer Hassan^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
² Pharmacy Department, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq.
³ Department of Chemistry, College of Education, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
⁴ Department of Biology, College of Education, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq.
⁵ Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Knowledge University, Erbil, Iraq.
⁶ Department of Radiological Imaging Technology, College of Health Technology, Cihan University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq.

PMID: 40446123
DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202500745

Abstract

This study presents a novel and simplified method for generating lanthanum-nitrogen-enriched carbon dots (La-NCDs) in a single step, using 2,2'-(fumaroylbis(azanediyl))diacetic acid (FDG) as a starting material. The resulting lanthanum-nitrogen-carbon dots were carefully analyzed for their consistent structure, optical properties, and size, all of which indicated successful activation. The research then explored the antimicrobial potential of both La-NCDs and FDG against common pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. La-NCDs inhibit microbes greatly, demonstrating inhibition zones of up to 41 mm and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 500-2000 µg/mL depending on the microbe. In contrast, FDG displays weak antimicrobial activity. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl/2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay was used to estimate the antioxidant properties of the materials. La-NCDs were more efficient as antioxidants than FDG and inhibited free radicals with an IC₅₀ of 121.88 µg/mL. This indicates that La-NCDs antioxidants may find their place in biomedical applications concerning microbial infection and oxidative stress treatment.

Keywords: Keywords; antimicrobial activity; antioxidant activity; fumaroyldiglycine; lanthanum‐doped carbon dots; radical scavenging assay.