Spectrophotometric, voltammetric and molecular docking studies of binding interaction of N-ferrocenylmethylnitroanilines with bovine serum albumin

Green synthesis, characterization, antioxidant, interaction with DNA/BSA, and investigation of cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cancer cells of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Hammada scoparia (Pomel) Iljin extract

There is a need for advanced developments to battle aggressive breast cancer variations and to address treatment resistance. In cancer therapy, ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) possess the ability to selectively and effectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells. There is an urgent necessity to create novel anti-cancer therapies, and recent studies indicate that ZnO nanoparticles have significant promise. The purpose of our study based on developed a simple, green synthesis method for ZnO-NPs nanoparticles using Hammada scoparia (Pomel) Iljin extract. Characterization through XRD, SEM, and FTIR confirmed the successful synthesis and structural properties of the NPs, revealing an average crystallite size of 17.786 nm and a particle size of 36.12 ± 4.52 nm. EDX analysis detected significant amounts of zinc and oxygen, while FTIR spectra identified various functional groups. Antioxidant assays (ABTS, DPPH, FRAP) showed that ZnO-NPs exhibit notable free radical scavenging activities, albeit less effective than ascorbic acid. Additionally, cyclic voltammetry and electronic spectroscopy studies indicated strong electrostatic interactions between ZnO-NPs and biomolecules such as DNA and BSA, suggesting potential applications in drug delivery. Cytotoxicity tests on MCF-7 breast cancer cells demonstrated significant dose-dependent inhibition of cell viability, emphasizing the potential of ZnO-NPs as effective agents in cancer therapy. Overall, the findings underscore the promising biomedical applications of ZnO-NPs, particularly in antioxidant and anticancer therapies.

Probing the interaction between encapsulated ethoxyquin and its β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex with bovine serum albumin

Ethoxyquin (EQ) is a synthetic antioxidant that is derived from quinolines and found in many meat products. EQ is strictly regulated in feed due to its potential health implications. An investigation of the interaction mechanism between EQ and transporter protein before and after β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) encapsulation was conducted with the use of multi-spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and molecular docking. EQ formed complexes with bovine serum albumin (BSA), and affected secondary structure and microenvironment polarity of BSA. However, at 298 K, EQ's fluorescence quenching constants decreased from (9.81 ± 0.05) × 103 L mol-1 to (4.94 ± 0.09) × 103 L mol-1, binding constants decreased from (10.28 ± 0.02) × 103 L mol-1 to (2.08 ± 0.07) × 103 L mol-1, after encapsulation in β-CD as well as the binding distance increased. β-CD contains part of EQ in its hydrophobic cavity, inhibiting its binding to BSA. β-CD inclusion complex prevented adverse effects of EQ on BSA conformation. However, β-CD encapsulation had no effect on EQ's antioxidant activity.

Green synthesis of bovine serum albumin/oxidized gum Arabic nanocomposite as pH-responsive carrier for controlled release of piperine and the molecular docking study

A safe drug carrier was synthesized by albumin (BSA) and oxidized gum arabic (OGA). Piperine (PIP) was loaded into BSA/OGA nanobiocomposites by desolvation method. A set of experiments were designed by considering different contents of OGA (5, 7.5 and 10 mg) and PIP (1 and 2 mg). The presence of the band at 1600-1660 cm^-1 in FTIR spectra revealed the successful interaction between OGA and BSA. PIP2-BSA/OGA5 was selected as a suitable carrier due to its smaller size (<300 nm) and higher loading efficiency (1.5 ± 0.2 %). The encapsulation efficiency of PIP into BSA/OGA5 was 57.6 ± 2 %. The average size, polydispersity index and zeta potential of PIP2-BSA/OGA5 were 292 ± 4.4 nm, 0.185 ± 0.03 and - 24.4 ± 1.7 mV, respectively. SEM and TEM images proved the formation of spherical-shaped nanoparticles. The disappearance of endothermic peak belonging to free PIP in DSC thermogram of PIP2-BSA/OGA5 evidenced its encapsulation into carrier. PIP2-BSA/OGA5 exhibited the sustained drug release. The cell viability of MCF-7 cells after 48 h exposure to BSA/OGA5, PIP2-BSA/OGA5 and free PIP was reported 90 %, 40.1 % and 30.6 %, respectively. The molecular docking study reported that the binding affinity of PIP for BSA/OGA nanocomposite was -8.7 kcal/mol indicating the acceptable stability of the prepared drug carrier.

Modern Trends in Bio-Organometallic Ferrocene Chemistry

Organometallic sandwich compounds, especially ferrocenes, possess a wide variety of pharmacological activities and therefore are attracting more and more attention from chemists, biologists, biochemists, etc. Excellent reviews concerning biological aspects and design of ferrocene-modified compounds appear regularly in scientific journals. This brief overview highlights recent achievements in the field of bio-organometallic ferrocene chemistry from 2017 to 2022. During this period, new ferrocene-modified analogues of various bio-structures were synthesized, namely, betulin, artemisinin, steroids, and alkaloids. In addition, studies of the biological potential of ferrocenes have been expanded. Since ferrocene is 70 years old this year, a brief historical background is also given. It seemed to me useful to sketch the ‘ferrocene picture’ in broad strokes.