Noncovalent interaction assisted fullerene for the transportation of some brain anticancer drugs: A theoretical study

Harnessing nanomedicine for modulating microglial states in the central nervous system disorders: Challenges and opportunities

Microglia are essential for maintaining homeostasis and responding to pathological events in the central nervous system (CNS). Their dynamic and multidimensional states in different environments are pivotal factors in various CNS disorders. However, therapeutic modulation of microglial states is challenging due to the intricate balance these cells maintain in the CNS environment and the blood-brain barrier's restriction of drug delivery. Nanomedicine presents a promising avenue for addressing these challenges, offering a method for the targeted and efficient modulation of microglial states. This review covers the challenges faced in microglial therapeutic modulation and potential use of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. We provide an in-depth examination of nanoparticle applications for modulating microglial states in a range of CNS disorders, encompassing neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases, infections, traumatic injuries, stroke, tumors, chronic pain, and psychiatric conditions. This review highlights the recent advancements and future prospects in nanomedicine for microglial modulation, paving the way for future research and clinical applications of therapeutic interventions in CNS disorders.

Research progress of fullerenes and their derivatives in the field of PDT

In contemporary studies, the predominant utilization of C60 derivatives pertains to their role as photosensitizers or agents that scavenge free radicals. The intriguing coexistence of these divergent functionalities has prompted extensive investigation into water-soluble fullerenes. The photodynamic properties of these compounds find practical applications in DNA cleavage, antitumor interventions, and antibacterial endeavors. Consequently, photodynamic therapy is progressively emerging as a pivotal therapeutic modality within the biomedical domain, owing to its notable levels of safety and efficacy. The essential components of photodynamic therapy encompass light of the suitable wavelength, oxygen, and a photosensitizer, wherein the reactive oxygen species generated by the photosensitizer play a pivotal role in the therapeutic mechanism. The remarkable ability of fullerenes to generate singlet oxygen has garnered significant attention from scholars worldwide. Nevertheless, the limited permeability of fullerenes across cell membranes owing to their low water solubility necessitates their modification to enhance their efficacy and utilization. This paper reviews the applications of fullerene derivatives as photosensitizers in antitumor and antibacterial fields for the recent years.

Search for Osme Bonds with π Systems as Electron Donors

The Osme bond is defined as pairing a Group 8 metal atom as an electron acceptor in a noncovalent interaction with a nucleophile. DFT calculations with the ωB97XD functional consider MO4 (M = Ru, Os) as the Lewis acid, paired with a series of π electron donors C2H2, C2H4, C6H6, C4H5N, C4H4O, and C4H4S. The calculations establish interaction energies in the range between 9.5 and 26.4 kJ/mol. Os engages in stronger interactions than does Ru, and those involving more extensive π-systems within the aromatic rings form stronger bonds than do the smaller ethylene and acetylene. Extensive analysis questions the existence of a true Osme bond, as the bonding chiefly involves interactions with the three O atoms of MO4 that lie closest to the π-system, via π(C-C)→σ*(M-O) transfers. These interactions are supplemented by back donation from M-O bonds to the π*(CC) antibonding orbitals of the π-systems. Dispersion makes a large contribution to these interactions, higher than electrostatics and much greater than induction.

Exploring the promising application of Be12O12 nanocage for the abatement of paracetamol using DFT simulations

The removal of paracetamol from water is of prime concern because of its toxic nature in aquatic environment. In the present research, a detailed DFT study is carried out to remove paracetamol drug from water with the help of Be12O12 to eliminate the related issues. Three different geometries (CMP-1, CMP-2, CMP-3,) are obtained with the highest adsorption energies value (Eads) of - 31.2316 kcal/mol for CMP-3 without any prominent structural change. It is observed from the study that O atom from the carbonyl group (C=O) and H atom from O-H group successfully interact with O and Be atoms of the nanocage respectively. Natural bonding orbitals analysis reveals charge transfer to paracetamol drug from Be12O12 nanocage with maximum charge transfer of - 0.159 e for CMP-3 with bond angle of 1.65 Å confirming the stability of the CMP-3 among the optimized complexes. The quantum theory of atoms in molecule concludes that the interaction between paracetamol drug molecule and Be12O12 is purely closed-shell weak electrostatic in nature in CMP-1 and CMP-3 and shared interaction in CMP-2. The thermodynamics analysis witnesses that the process is exothermic and spontaneous. The regeneration study reveals the reversible nature of the adsorbent. The overall study presents Be12O12 nanocage as a potential adsorbent and may be used in future for the purification of water from a number of emerging pollutants.

Potential Role of Carbon Nanomaterials in the Treatment of Malignant Brain Gliomas

Malignant gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors in adults up to an extent of 78% of all primary malignant brain tumors. However, total surgical resection is almost unachievable due to the considerable infiltrative ability of glial cells. The efficacy of current multimodal therapeutic strategies is, furthermore, limited by the lack of specific therapies against malignant cells, and, therefore, the prognosis of these in patients is still very unfavorable. The limitations of conventional therapies, which may result from inefficient delivery of the therapeutic or contrast agent to brain tumors, are major reasons for this unsolved clinical problem. The major problem in brain drug delivery is the presence of the blood-brain barrier, which limits the delivery of many chemotherapeutic agents. Nanoparticles, thanks to their chemical configuration, are able to go through the blood-brain barrier carrying drugs or genes targeted against gliomas. Carbon nanomaterials show distinct properties including electronic properties, a penetrating capability on the cell membrane, high drug-loading and pH-dependent therapeutic unloading capacities, thermal properties, a large surface area, and easy modification with molecules, which render them as suitable candidates for deliver drugs. In this review, we will focus on the potential effectiveness of the use of carbon nanomaterials in the treatment of malignant gliomas and discuss the current progress of in vitro and in vivo researches of carbon nanomaterials-based drug delivery to brain.

Boron nitride nanocage as drug delivery systems for chloroquine, as an effective drug for treatment of coronavirus disease: A DFT study

Research has shown that chloroquine (CQ) can effectively help control COVID-19 infection. B₂₄N₂₄ nanocage is a drug delivery system. Thus, through density functional theory, the present study analyzed pristine nanocage-CQ interaction and CQ interaction with Si- and Al -doped nanocage. The findings revealed that nanocage doping, particularly with Si and Al, yields more satisfactory drug delivery for CQ due to their greater electronic and energetic characteristics with CQ.

Application of zinc oxide nano-tube as drug-delivery vehicles of anticancer drug

CONTEXT

Zinc oxide nano-tube (ZnONT) nano-structures, which possess chemical stability and non-toxicity in the human body, are considered promising for delivering different drugs. Within this work, we scrutinized the drug delivery capability of the ZnONT and its adsorptional properties as a drug delivery vehicle (DDV) for hydroxyurea (HU) as an anti-cancer drug through density functional theory along with the solvent impacts. Based on the optimized structures, it can be suggested that Zn atoms of ZnONT are the ideal sites on this nano-tube for the adsorption of HU. HU had a strong physical adsorption through the O atom of carbonyl groups onto the local pyramidal site of the ZnONT. At 1.96 Å and Ead of -39.28 kcal/mol, in the configuration which was favorable in terms of energy, there was an interaction between the O atoms of -C=O group of the drug and a Zn atom of the ZnONT. In order to scrutinize the excited state properties of the HU-ZnONT complex, we also examined the UV/Vis data of the HU/ZnONT interaction system. Following the adsorption of HU onto the surface of the ZnONT, there was a significant red-shift based on the maximum absorption wavelength, showing that the ZnONT is an ideal candidate for optic sensors in order to detect and monitor the drug molecule. HU could be released in the cancer tissues where pH was low based on the drug release mechanism. The current work thoroughly investigated the mechanism of interaction between the ZnONT and HU, showing that ZnONT can be used for the smart drug delivery of HU. Overall, the findings suggest that ZnONT could be used as an efficient drug-delivery system for the HU drug to treat various types of cancer.

METHODS

In this work we used B3LYP-gCP-D3 functional and the basis set LANL2DZ on the transition metal (Zn) and the basis set cc-pVDZ on the others. GAMESS software program was employed for performing the calculations. we performed analyses, including charge transport, molecular electrostatic potential surface (MEP), energetic, electronic, natural bond orbitals (NBOs), and structural optimizations.

Identifying molecular structural features by pattern recognition methods

Identification of molecular structural features is a central part of computational chemistry. It would be beneficial if pattern recognition techniques could be incorporated to facilitate the identification. Currently, the quantification of the structural dissimilarity is mainly carried out by root-mean-square-deviation (RMSD) calculations such as in molecular dynamics simulations. However, the RMSD calculation underperforms for large molecules, showing the so-called “curse of dimensionality” problem. Also, it requires consistent ordering of atoms in two comparing structures, which needs nontrivial effort to fulfill. In this work, we propose to take advantage of the point cloud recognition using convex hulls as the basis to recognize molecular structural features. Two advantages of the method can be highlighted. First, the dimension of the input data structure is largely reduced from the number of atoms of molecules to the number of atoms of convex hulls. Therefore, the dimensionality curse problem is avoided, and the atom ordering process is saved. Second, the construction of convex hulls can be used to define new molecular descriptors, such as the contact area of molecular interactions. These new molecular descriptors have different properties from existing ones, therefore they are expected to exhibit different behaviors for certain machine learning studies. Several illustrative applications have been carried out, which provide promising results for structure–activity studies.

Identification of molecular structural features by point clouds and convex hulls.

Metal doped fullerene complexes as promising drug delivery materials against COVID-19

An outbreak of respiratory disorder caused by coronavirus has been named as coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19). To find a specific treatment against this disease researchers are at the frontline. To cure COVID-19, favipiravir (FPV) has been reported as an effective drug based on its high recovery rate. Among nanomaterials, fullerene C60 has achieved enormous attention as a drug delivery vehicle due to its good bioavailability and low toxicity. Hence, in this work, we have investigated the potential of metal-doped fullerene as a drug carrier, based on DFT calculations by using M06-2X functional and 6-31G(d) basis set in water media. In this research electronic parameters and adsorption energy of FPV on interaction with metal-doped (Cr, Fe, and Ni) fullerene is studied. The charge transfer between drug and doped fullerene has been studied through electrophilicity indexes. The structural and electronic properties are explored in terms of adsorption energy through frontier molecular orbital (FMO) and density of state (DOS). It is observed that doping of fullerene C60 with Cr, Fe, and Ni metals significantly enhances the drug delivery rate and provides numerous advantages including controlled drug release at specific target sites which minimize the generic collection in vivo and reduce the side effects. Thusly, it is suggested that our designed metal-doped complexes might be efficient candidates as drug delivery materials for COVID-19 infection.

Heterofullerene MC59 (M = B, Si, Al) as Potential Carriers for Hydroxyurea Drug Delivery

As a representative nanomaterial, C₆₀ and its derivatives have drawn much attention in the field of drug delivery over the past years, due to their unique geometric and electronic structures. Herein, the interactions of hydroxyurea (HU) drug with the pristine C₆₀ and heterofullerene MC₅₉ (M = B, Si, Al) were investigated using the density functional theory calculations. The geometric and electronic properties in terms of adsorption configuration, adsorption energy, Hirshfeld charge, frontier molecular orbitals, and charge density difference are calculated. In contrast to pristine C₆₀, it is found that HU molecule is chemisorbed on the BC₅₉, SiC₅₉, and AlC₅₉ molecules with moderate adsorption energy and apparent charge transfer. Therefore, heterofullerene BC₅₉, SiC₅₉, and AlC₅₉ are expected to be promising carriers for hydroxyurea drug delivery.

Quantum mechanical simulation of Chloroquine drug interaction with C60 fullerene for treatment of COVID-19

Chloroquine (CQ) has been reported as an effective drug in the control of COVID-19 infection. Since C60 fullerene has been considered as a drug delivery system, the interaction between pristine fullerene and chloroquine drug and also the interaction between B, Al, Si doped fullerene and chloroquine drug have been investigated based on the density functional theory calculations. The results of this study show that the doped fullerene, especially Al and Si doped fullerene could be the better drug delivery vehicles for chloroquine drug because of their relatively better energetic and electronic properties with chloroquine.

Effect of Colloidal Aqueous Solution of Fullerene (C60) in the Presence of a P-Glycoprotein Inhibitor (Verapamil) on Spatial Memory and Hippocampal Expression of Sirtuin6, SELADIN1, and AQP1 Genes in a Rat Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common types of neurodegenerative diseases which is accompanied by irreversible neuronal damage, learning difficulties, memory impairments, and cognitive disorders. The cholinergic system is destroyed during AD pathogenesis, leading to the major symptoms of the disease. Although in severe stages AD is life threatening, to date no absolute treatment has been found for this illness and some palliative options are available. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fullerene (C60) aqueous suspension (FAS) on improving spatial memory in amnesic male Wistar rats (weighing 200 ± 20 g) and to further compare the results with that of donepezil (DNPZL) as a standard drug. FAS was prepared via a solvent exchange method. The particle size was in the 119.14 ± 3.38 nm range with polydispersity index of 0.15 ± 0.02 and zeta potential of -12.22 ± 5.98 mV. A simple and high sensitive reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed to identify the C60 concentration in FAS (21 μg/mL). Efficiencies of drugs were examined in both pretreatment and post-treatment groups of animals to better understand how they participate in affecting AD symptoms. Seeing that previous studies have presented antithetical declarations about whether C60 is a P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate, we studied FAS effects in both conditions of the presence and absence of a P-gp inhibitor (verapamil HCl, 25 mg/kg). In order to clarify the molecular mechanisms of action of two drugs, their effects on the expression of three principal genes involved in AD, including Sirtuin6, SELADIN1, and AQP1, and as well as their total antioxidant capacities (TACs) were studied. In order to induce memory impairment, scopolamine HBr (SCOP) was administered for 10 days (2 mg/kg/i.p.). FAS and DNPZL administration regimens were 21 μg/mL, BID (i.p.) and 10 mg/kg (p.o.) for 10 days, respectively. Our results introduce FAS as a promising nanoformulation for improving AD symptoms, especially memory impairment, and further assert that more studies are needed to elucidate C60 and P-gp interaction type.

Carbon nanostructures: The drug and the delivery system for brain disorders

Neurodegenerative disorders and brain tumors are major pathological conditions affecting the brain. The delivery of therapeutic agents into the brain is not as easy as to other organs or systems. The presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) makes the drug delivery into the brain more complicated and challenging. Many techniques have been developed to overcome the difficulties with BBB and to achieve brain-targeted drug delivery. Incorporation of the drugs into nanocarriers capable to penetrate BBB is a simple technique. Different nanocarriers have been developed including polymeric nanoparticles, carbon nanoparticles, lipid-based nanoparticles, etc. Carbon nanostructures could make a superior position among them, because of their good biocompatibility and easy penetration of BBB. Carbon-family nanomaterials consist of different carbon-based structures including zero-dimensional fullerene, one-dimensional carbon nanotube, two-dimensional graphene, and some other related structures like carbon dots and nanodiamonds. They can be used as efficient carriers for drug delivery into the brain. Apart from the drug delivery applications, they can also be used as a central nervous system (CNS) therapeutic agent; some of the carbon nanostructures have neuroregenerative activity. Their influence on neuronal growth and anti-amyloid action is also interesting. This review focuses on different carbon nanostructures for brain-targeted drug delivery and their CNS activities. As a carrier and CNS therapeutic agent, carbon nanostructures can revolutionize the treatment of brain disorders.

A Novel Nanoconjugate of Landomycin A with C60 Fullerene for Cancer Targeted Therapy: In Vitro Studies

Introduction

Landomycins are a subgroup of angucycline antibiotics that are produced by Streptomyces bacteria and possess strong antineoplastic potential. Literature data suggest that enhancement of the therapeutic activity of this drug may be achieved by means of creating specific drug delivery systems. Here we propose to adopt C₆₀ fullerene as flexible and stable nanocarrier for landomycin delivery into tumor cells.

Methods

The methods of molecular modelling, dynamic light scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to study the assembly of C₆₀ fullerene and the anticancer drug Landomycin A (LA) in aqueous solution. Cytotoxic activity of this nanocomplex was studied in vitro towards two cancer cell lines in comparison to human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test and a live/dead assay. The morphology of the cells incubated with fullerene-drug nanoparticles and their uptake into target cells were studied by scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence light microscopy.

Results

The viability of primary cells (hMSCs, as a model for healthy cells) and cancer cell lines (human osteosarcoma cells, MG-63, and mouse mammary cells, 4T1, as models for cancer cells) was studied after incubation with water-soluble C₆₀ fullerenes, LA and the mixture C₆₀ + LA. The C₆₀ + LA nanocomplex in contrast to LA alone showed higher toxicity towards cancer cells and lower toxicity towards normal cells, whereas the water-soluble C₆₀ fullerenes at the same concentration were not toxic for the cells.

Conclusions

The obtained physico-chemical data indicate a complexation between the two compounds, leading to the formation of a C₆₀ + LA nanocomposite. It was concluded that immobilization of LA on C₆₀ fullerene enhances selectivity of action of this anticancer drug in vitro, indicating on possibility of further preclinical studies of novel C₆₀ + LA nanocomposites on animal tumor models.

Biomedical applications of carbon nanomaterials: Drug and gene delivery potentials

One of the major components in the development of nanomedicines is the choice of the right biomaterial, which notably determines the subsequent biological responses. The popularity of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) has been on the rise due to their numerous applications in the fields of drug delivery, bioimaging, tissue engineering, and biosensing. Owing to their considerably high surface area, multifunctional surface chemistry, and excellent optical activity, novel functionalized CNMs possess efficient drug-loading capacity, biocompatibility, and lack of immunogenicity. Over the past few decades, several advances have been made on the functionalization of CNMs to minimize their health concerns and enhance their biosafety. Recent evidence has also implied that CNMs can be functionalized with bioactive peptides, proteins, nucleic acids, and drugs to achieve composites with remarkably low toxicity and high pharmaceutical efficiency. This review focuses on the three main classes of CNMs, including fullerenes, graphenes, and carbon nanotubes, and their recent biomedical applications.

Biotransport kinetics and intratumoral biodistribution of malonodiserinolamide-derivatized [60]fullerene in a murine model of breast adenocarcinoma

[60]Fullerene is a highly versatile nanoparticle (NP) platform for drug delivery to sites of pathology owing to its small size and both ease and versatility of chemical functionalization, facilitating multisite drug conjugation, drug targeting, and modulation of its physicochemical properties. The prominent and well-characterized role of the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect in facilitating NP delivery to tumors motivated us to explore vascular transport kinetics of a water-soluble [60]fullerene derivatives using intravital microscopy in an immune competent murine model of breast adenocarcinoma. Herein, we present a novel local and global image analysis of vascular transport kinetics at the level of individual tumor blood vessels on the micron scale and across whole images, respectively. Similar to larger nanomaterials, [60]fullerenes displayed rapid extravasation from tumor vasculature, distinct from that in normal microvasculature. Temporal heterogeneity in fullerene delivery to tumors was observed, demonstrating the issue of nonuniform delivery beyond spatial dimensions. Trends in local region analysis of fullerene biokinetics by fluorescence quantification were in agreement with global image analysis. Further analysis of intratumoral vascular clearance rates suggested a possible enhanced penetration and retention effect of the fullerene compared to a 70 kDa vascular tracer. Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of tracking and quantifying the delivery kinetics and intratumoral biodistribution of fullerene-based drug delivery platforms, consistent with the EPR effect on short timescales and passive transport to tumors.