Anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activity of elemental sulfur‐derived sustainable sulfur quantum dots

Abstract Sulfur quantum dots (SQDs) are attracting increasing attention in the biomedical field due to their unique properties, such as antibacterial activity, free radical scavenging potential, optical properties, biocompatibility, and non‐toxicity. Ethylenediamine passivated SQDs (ED‐SQDs) were synthesized using a hydrothermal method. Cytotoxicity evaluation of ED‐SQDs on RAW264.7 cells showed more than 90% cell viability even at 500 μg/mL of ED‐SQDs, with an established IC 50 value of 880.9 μg/mL. In addition, ED‐SQDs showed potent antioxidant activity in vitro, effectively scavenging ABTS and DPPH free radicals at concentrations below 100 μg/mL, comparable to ascorbic acid. ED‐SQD reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in macrophages, lowered pro‐inflammatory cytokines, and inactivated LPS‐activated STAT3. In addition, ED‐SQD increased nuclear NRF2 and the expression of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes in LPS‐stimulated cells. These results reveal the antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory potential of ED‐SQDs at non‐toxic concentrations, providing evidence for their potential anti‐inflammatory applications.