Glutathione carbon dots as an intracellular reactive oxygen species scavenger for reducing cisplatin-induced ototoxicity

It is widely recognized that platinum-based chemotherapy, particularly cisplatin therapy, can cause ototoxicity. At present, there are no Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs to prevent or alleviate ototoxicity. Ototoxicity is generally believed to be caused by excessive reactive oxygen species production in the inner ear. Accordingly, a variety of antioxidants have been developed to protect against ototoxicity. To improve the efficiency of drug delivery to the cochlea, here, we synthesized simple and easy-to-obtain glutathione carbon dots (GSH CDs) with ultra-small dimensions. The experimental results revealed that the GSH CDs have strong free-radical scavenging activity and can restore mitochondrial function, maintain hair cell stability, and protect hair cells from cisplatin-induced oxidative stress. Thus, GSH CDs may serve as a new therapeutic agent for preventing cisplatin-induced ototoxicity.