Formononetin-derived quantum dots suppress colon cancer growth by triggering mitochondrial apoptosis

Formononetin (FMN) is an extracted component of traditional Chinese medicine with anticancer effects, but its poor water solubility and low bioavailability have limited further research and application. Therefore, based on FMN that is the natural antitumor agent, we synthesized a formononetin quantum dots (FMNQDs) for colon cancer therapy, which has the advantages of outstanding water solubility, homogeneous particle size (2.03 ± 1.0 nm), exceptional stability and good intracellular fluorescence imaging effect. The results show that FMNQD exhibits good antitumor activity by inducing mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis, characterized by elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and modulated expression of Bax and Bcl-2. In vivo validation confirmed FMNQD’s significant tumor growth inhibition. The tumor inhibition rate in the 8 mg/kg dose group was as high as 60.06 ± 6.22%. Moreover, blood biochemical analysis suggested a favorable safety profile. This study establishes FMNQDs as a potential therapeutic agent for colon cancer, providing preclinical evidence to support further development of formononetin-based nanomedicines.