Mulberry-derived carbon dots attenuate kidney fibrosis through direct inhibition of PI3K

and in a diabetic nephropathy mouse model, M-CDs administration significantly attenuated fibrotic responses and improved kidney function, demonstrating efficacy comparable to metformin. Mechanistic studies combining transcriptomics, cellular thermal shift assay, and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that M-CDs directly bind to the PI3K complex, inhibiting its kinase activity and downstream fibrotic responses. This finding definitively expands the functional scope of carbon dots from general anti-oxidant materials to precise, structure-based kinase inhibitors. Supported by rigorous biosafety profiles, this work establishes M-CDs as the bio-sourced carbon nanomaterial capable of direct kinase inhibition, offering a safe, effective, and mechanism-driven strategy against kidney fibrosis and potentially other kinase-mediated pathologies.