Evaluation of the anti-rheumatic properties of thymol using carbon dots as nanocarriers on FCA induced arthritic rats

Abstract

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that commences as inflammation and progressively destroys the articular joint. In this study, we assess the anti-rheumatic potential of the monoterpenoid class of thymol conjugated with Carbon Dots (CDs). Waste biomass in the form of dried rose petals was chosen as a precursor for the synthesis of CDs via a one-step hydrothermal bottom-up methodology. The prepared CDs exhibited absorption in the near-visible region, and unique excitation-dependent emission behaviour was confirmed from UV-Visible and fluorescence measurements. The surface morphology of CDs was confirmed by SEM and HR-TEM analysis to be quasi-spherical particles with an average size of ∼5–6 nm. The presence of various functional moieties (hydroxyl, carbonyl, and amino) was confirmed via FT-IR measurement. The graphitization of CDs was confirmed by the D and G bands for sp² and sp³ hybridization, respectively, through Raman analysis. Esterification methodology was adopted to prepare the CDs–thymol conjugate and confirmed via FT-IR analysis. CDs play the role of a nanocarrier for thymol, an anti-arthritic agent. The bioactive compound of thymol showed potent anti-arthritic activity against RA targets through in silico docking studies. Further, the in vivo studies revealed that CDs–thymol conjugates (10 mg per kg body weight) showed a significant reduction in rat paw volume along with reduced levels of RF and CRP (2.23 ± 0.42 IU ml⁻¹ and 16.96 ± 0.22 mg ml⁻¹) when compared to the disease control rats. X-ray radiography and ultrasonic imaging revealed less bone destruction, joint derangement, and swelling in arthritis-induced Wistar rats. They could also potentially improve the Hb (14.14 ± 0.19), RBC (6.01 ± 0.11), PCV (6.01 ± 0.11) levels and elevate the status of antioxidant enzymes (GPx, SOD, MDA), and the activity was comparable to the standard drug, ibuprofen (10 mg kg⁻¹), suggesting that the CDs–thymol conjugate at 10 mg kg⁻¹ could act as a strong anti-arthritic agent. This work is evidence for the utilization of waste biomass as a value-added product such as a nanocarrier for biomedical applications.