Ascorbic acid derived carbon dots promote circadian rhythm and contribute to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in children, and ADHD patients always display circadian abnormalities. While, the ADHD drugs currently used in clinic have strong side effects, such as psychosis, allergic reactions, and heart problems. Here, we demonstrated carbon dots derived from the ascorbic acid (VCDs) could strongly rescue the hyperactive and impulsive behaviour of a zebrafish ADHD disease model caused by per1b mutation. VCDs prolonged the circadian period of zebrafish for more than half an hour. In addition, the amplitude and circadian phase were also changed. The dopamine level was specifically increased, which may be caused by stimulation of the dopaminergic neuron development in the midbrain. Notably, it was found that the serotonin level was not altered by VCDs treatments. Also, the gene transcriptome effects of VCDs were discussed in present work. Our results provided the dynamic interactions of carbon dots with circadian system and dopamine signaling pathway, which illustrates a potential application of degradable and bio-safe VCDs for the treatment of the attention deficient and hyperactive disorder through circadian intervention.