Therapeutic potential of graphyne as a new drug-delivery system for daunorubicin to treat cancer: A DFT study

Hyaluronic acid functionalized citric acid dendrimer/UiO-66-COOH as a stable and biocompatible platform for daunorubicin delivery

This work aimed to prepare a new system for daunorubicin (DNR) delivery to improve therapeutic efficiency and decrease unwanted side effects. Typically, at first, a carboxylic acid functional group containing metal-organic framework (UiO-66-COOH) was synthesized in a simple way. Then, a third generation of citric acid dendrimer (CAD G3) was grown on it (UiO-66-COOH-CAD G3). Finally, the system was functionalized with pre-modified hyaluronic acid (UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA). SEM analysis displayed that the synthesized particles have a spherical shape with an average particle size ranging from 260 to 280 nm. An increase in hydrodynamic diameter from 223 nm for UiO-66-COOH to 481 nm for UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA is a sign of success in the performed reactions. Also, the average pore size was calculated at about 4.04 nm. The DNR loading efficiency of UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA was evaluated at ∼74 % (DNR@UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA). It was observed that the drug release rate at a lower pH is more than higher pH. The maximum hemolysis of <3 % means that the UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA is hemocompatible. The use of DNR-loaded UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA led to cell-killing of 77.9 % for MDA-MB 231. These results specified the great potential of UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA for tumor drug delivery, so it could be proposed as a new carrier for anticancer agents to minimize adverse effects and improve therapeutic efficacy.

Ab Initio Density Functional Theory Calculation: Americium Hydrolysis Mechanism

The hydrolysis mechanism of americium was calculated using density functional theory, and the detailed microscopic reaction mechanism was obtained. The results show that americium reacts with water along the octet state to produce oxides and H2, and that this reaction is exothermic. The interaction between Am and O atoms gradually changes from initially electrostatic interaction to covalent interaction, and continues to strengthen. During the reaction process, Am atoms always lose electrons, the 5f orbital is obviously involved, and there is df orbital hybridization. This study provides the necessary theoretical data support for the theoretical and experimental study of the actinide system.

Thermodynamic and cellular studies of doxorubicin/daunorubicin loaded by a DNA tetrahedron for diagnostic imaging, chemotherapy, and gene therapy

The combined diagnostic imaging, chemotherapy, and gene therapy based on DNA nanocarriers can reduce the toxic side effects and overcome multidrug resistance (MDR). In this study, we designed an antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs)-linked DNA tetrahedron (ASOs-TD). The detection limit of ASOs-TD for MDR1 mRNA was 0.05 μM. By using fluorescence spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), the interactions between doxorubicin (DOX) /daunorubicin (DAU) and ASOs-TD were investigated. The number of binding sites (n), binding constant (Ka), entropy change (ΔSo), enthalpy change (ΔHo) and Gibbs free energy change (ΔGo) were obtained. The intercalation of DOX/DAU with ASOs-TD was demonstrated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and quenching researches of potassium ferricyanide K4[Fe(CN)6]. The in vitro release rate of DOX/DAU loaded in ASOs-TD was accelerated by deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I). In vitro cytotoxicity proved the good gene therapy effect of ASOs-TD and the increased cytotoxicity of DOX/DAU to MCF-7/ADR cells. The results of confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) suggested that ASOs-TD could effectively identify drug-resistant cells due to its good imaging ability for MDR1 mRNA. This work offers theoretical significance for overcoming MDR using DNA nanostructures which combine diagnostic imaging, chemotherapy, and gene therapy.

A DFT approach for finding therapeutic potential of graphyne as a nanocarrier in the doxorubicin drug delivery to treat cancer

In the present work, the drug-loading efficacy of graphyne (GYN) for doxorubicin (DOX) drug is investigated for the first time by using density functional theory (DFT). Doxorubicin drug is effective in the cure of numerous types of cancer including bone cancer, gastric, thyroid, bladder, ovarian, breast, and soft tissue cancer. Doxorubicin drug prevents the cell division process by intercalating in the double-helix of DNA and stopping its replication. The optimized, geometrical, energetic, and excited-state characteristics of graphyne (GYN), doxorubicin drug (DOX), and doxorubicin-graphyne complex (DOX@GYN complex) are calculated to see how effective it is as a carrier. The DOX drug interacted with GYN with an adsorption-energy of -1.57 eV (gas-phase). The interaction of GYN with DOX drug is investigated using NCI (non-covalent interaction) analysis. The findings of this analysis showed that the DOX@GYN complex has weak forces of interaction. Charge transfer from doxorubicin drug to GYN during DOX@GYN complex formation is described by charge-decomposition analysis and HOMO-LUMO analysis. The increased dipole-moment (8.41 D) of the DOX@GYN in contrast with therapeutic agent DOX and GYN indicated that the drug will move easily in the biochemical system. Furthermore, the photo-induced electron-transfer process is explored for excited states, and it reveals that upon interaction, fluorescence-quenching will occur in the complex DOX@GYN. In addition, the influence of the positive and negative charge states on the GYN and DOX@GYN is also considered. Overall, the findings indicated that the GYN could be exploited as an effective drug-transporter for the delivery of doxorubicin drug. Investigators will be inspired to look at another 2D nanomaterials for drug transport applications as a result of this theoretical work.

A DFT study of sulforaphane adsorption on the group III nitrides (B12N12, Al12N12 and Ga12N12) nanocages

In this paper, the adsorption behavior of group III nitrides (B12N12, Al12N12, and Ga12N12) nanocages to sulforaphane (SF) anticancer medicine were studied by density functional theory (DFT). The adsorption energy, solvation energy, desorption time and related quantum molecular descriptors were calculated in neutral and acidic solutions. When the drugs were adsorbed to nanocages, the structure of nanocages and drugs changed after adsorption, indicating that the process was effective adsorption. The adsorption energy and solvation energy of the complexes created after adsorption were negative values, which indicated that the structure of complexes formed by adsorption were stable. According to charge decomposition analysis (CDA) and natural bonding orbitals (NBO), drugs act as charge donors and nanocages act as charge acceptors, so that the charge flows from drugs to nanocages. Thermodynamic calculations demonstrate that drugs adsorption on nanocages is a spontaneous exothermic process. The calculation of quantum molecular descriptors confirmed that drugs adsorption on nanocages increased the chemical reactivity and solubility of drugs, which facilitated its transfer in biological fluids. Both interaction region index (IRI) and topological analysis of atom in molecule (AIM) revealed Van Der Waals interaction between drugs and nanocages. Protonation studies demonstrated that acidic circumstances could improve the polarity of complexes, increase the solvation effect, and boost drugs release in target cancer cells. The results of this work indicate that X12N12(X = B, Al, Ga) nanocages can be used as the delivery vehicle of SF drug.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Spectroscopic, calorimetric and cytotoxicity studies on the combined binding of daunorubicin and acridine orange to a DNA tetrahedron

Chemotherapy-phototherapy (CTPT) combination drugs co-loaded by targeted DNA nanostructures can achieve controlled drug delivery, reduce toxic side effects and overcome multidrug resistance. Herein, we constructed and characterized a DNA tetrahedral nanostructure (MUC1-TD) linked with the targeting aptamer MUC1. The interaction of daunorubicin (DAU)/acridine orange (AO) alone and in combination with MUC1-TD and the influence of the interaction on the cytotoxicity of the drugs were evaluated. Potassium ferrocyanide quenching analysis and DNA melting temperature assays were used to demonstrate the intercalative binding of DAU/AO to MUC1-TD. The interactions of DAU and/or AO with MUC1-TD were analyzed by fluorescence spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The number of binding sites, binding constant, entropy and enthalpy changes of the binding process were obtained. The binding strength and binding sites of DAU were higher than those of AO. The presence of AO in the ternary system weakened the binding of DAU to MUC1-TD. In vitro cytotoxicity studies demonstrated that the loading of MUC1-TD augmented the inhibitory effects of DAU and AO and the synergistic cytotoxic effects of DAU + AO on MCF-7 cells and MCF-7/ADR cells. Cell uptake studies showed that the loading of MUC1-TD was beneficial in promoting the apoptosis of MCF-7/ADR cells due to its enhanced targeting to the nucleus. This study has important guiding significance for the combined application of DAU and AO co-loaded by DNA nanostructures to overcome multidrug resistance.

Metal-decorated γ-graphyne as a drug transporting agent for the mercaptopurine chemotherapy drug: a DFT study

In recent years, carbon-based two-dimensional (2D) materials have gained popularity as the carriers of various anticancer therapy drugs, which could reduce the crucial side effects by directly applying the drugs to the intended tumor cells. In this study, through first-principles density functional theory simulations, we have investigated the adsorption properties of a famous cancer chemotherapy drug called mercaptopurine (MC) on a 2D γ-graphyne (GYN) monolayer. Analyzing the geometric and electronic properties, we can summarize that the MC interaction with the pristine GYN is weak, with a small adsorption energy of -0.15 eV, which is too low for potential applications. Therefore, we have decorated the GYN monolayer with biocompatible metals such as Al, Ag, and Cu to trigger the adsorption capacity. The Al- and Cu-decorated GYN offered improved adsorption towards MC compared to the pristine case. The drug release from these metal-decorated systems was examined by creating an acidic environment. In addition, the desorption temperature of the drug from the system was also evaluated using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. The calculations demonstrated that the Al-decorated GYN is a potential vehicle for MC drug delivery because of the favourable adsorption energy of -0.63 eV, charge transfer of 0.17e and desorption temperature above 270 K. The current research will stimulate the investigation of other low-dimensional carbon materials for drug-delivery applications.

Controlled supramolecular interactions for targeted release of Amiodarone drug through Graphyne to treat cardiovascular diseases: An in silico study

In the current study, the drug loading ability of graphyne (GY) for the amiodarone (AMD) drug is investigated for the first time. The efficacy of GY as a carrier for amiodarone (a cardiovascular drug) is evaluated by calculating its electronic, energetic, optimized, and excited state properties with help of the density functional theory (DFT). The AMD drug interacted with the GY molecule with an adsorption energy of about -0.19 eV (gas-phase) and -1.92 eV (aqueous phase), suggesting that the AMD@GY complex is stable in water-phase. The HOMO (highest-occupied molecular-orbital) of the AMD@GY complex is concentrated on the AMD drug while the LUMO (lowest-unoccupied molecular-orbital) is centralized on GY with absolute charge separation, indicating charge transfer will occur between AMD and GY. The charge-transfer process is further studied with the aid of charge-decomposition analysis (CDA). The non-covalent interaction analysis (NCI) exposed that non-covalent forces exist between the GY carrier and AMD drug. These non-covalent forces between AMD drug and GY carrier play a significant role in drug unloading at the targeted or diseased site. Likewise, the calculations at excited-state, charge-state (+1 and -1) influence on GY and AMD@GY complex structures, and photo-induced electron transfer analysis (PET) are also studied for the graphyne-based drug-delivery system. According to PET and electron-hole analysis, fluorescence-quenching will occur upon interaction. Overall, it is concluded that graphyne can be exploited as a drug carrier for amiodarone drug delivery. Researchers will be fascinated to look at alternative 2D nanomaterials for drug delivery applications as a result of this theoretical work.

Spherical PEG/SiO2 promising agents for Lamivudine antiviral drug delivery, a molecular dynamics simulation study

Spherical nanocarriers can lead to a bright future to lessen problems of virus infected people. Spherical polyethylene glycol (PEG) and spherical silica (SiO₂) are novel attractive nanocarriers as drug delivery agents, especially they are recently noticed to be reliable for antiviral drugs like anti-HIV, anti-covid-19, etc. Lamivudine (3TC) is used as a first line drug for antiviral therapy and the atomic view of 3TC-PEG/SiO₂ complexes enable scientist to help improve treatment of patients with viral diseases. This study investigates the interactions of 3TC with Spherical PEG/SiO₂, using molecular dynamics simulations. The mechanism of adsorption, the stability of systems and the drug concentration effect are evaluated by analyzing the root mean square deviation, the solvent accessible surface area, the radius of gyration, the number of hydrogen bonds, the radial distribution function, and Van der Waals energy. Analyzed data show that the compression of 3TC is less on PEG and so the stability is higher than SiO₂; the position and intensity of the RDF peaks approve this stronger binding of 3TC to PEG as well. Our studies show that PEG and also SiO₂ are suitable for loading high drug concentrations and maintaining their stability; therefore, spherical PEG/SiO₂ can reduce drug dosage efficiently.

Controlled supramolecular interaction to enhance the bioavailability of hesperetin to targeted cancer cells through graphyne: a comprehensive in silico study

In the current study, the drug carrier efficiency of graphyne (GRP) for the transfer of the hesperetin (HPT) drug is evaluated for the first time. The GRP efficacy as a carrier is investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) technique to calculate various physiochemical characteristics such as dipole moment, bandgap, and chemical reactivity-descriptors for HPT, GRP and HPT@GRP complex. The non-covalent-interaction (NCI) plot indicated that GRP and HPT have weak interaction force, which is fundamental for the drug's noticeable offloading from the GRP carrier at its target location. According to frontier molecular orbital analysis, the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of HPT distributes the charge to the GRP, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) during excitation. Charge transfer is further supported by charge-decomposition-analysis, which interprets the extensive overlap between HPT and GRP orbitals. In the case of the gas phase, the λ_max of the HPT@GRP-complex is redshifted by 9 nm from GRP. In the solvent phase, the λ_max value is also redshifted. These theoretically calculated spectra also match experimentally observed spectra rather well. The PET (photoinduced electron-transfer) method and electron–hole theory were used for the graphical explication of distinct excited states. The photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mechanism interprets fluorescence dimming because of interaction. Furthermore, GRP with cationic (+1) and anionic (−1) charge states (GRP^+1/−1) showed minor structural disfigurement and formed stable HPT complexes. In the current study, HRP is loading and unloading on GRP very effectively, that can potentially be used in the oncology field. Due to this theoretical study, researchers will be interested in looking at other 2D nanomaterials for drug delivery applications.

In the current study, the drug carrier efficiency of graphyne (GRP) for the transfer of the hesperetin (HPT) drug is evaluated for the first time.

Silver cluster doped graphyne (GY) with outstanding non-linear optical properties

This research study addresses the computational simulations of optical and nonlinear optical (NLO) characteristics of silver (Ag) cluster doped graphyne (GY) complexes. By precisely following DFT and TD-DFT hypothetical computations, in-depth characterization of GY@Agcenter, GY@Agside, GY@2Agperpendicular, GY@2Agabove, and GY@3Agcenter is accomplished using CAM-B3LYP/LANL2DZ while the CAM-B3LYP/mixed basis set is used for study of 2GY@Agcenter, 2GY@Agside, 2GY@2Agperpendicular, 2GY@2Agabove, and 2GY@3Agcenter. The effects of various graphyne surface based complexes on hyperpolarizabilities, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), density of states (DOS), absorption maximum (λ max), binding energy (E b), dipole moment (μ), electron density distribution map (EDDM), transition density matrix (TDM), electrostatic potential (ESP), vertical ionization energy (E VI) and electrical conductivity (σ) have been investigated. Infrared (IR), non-covalent interaction (NCI) analysis accompanied by isosurface are performed to study the vibrational frequencies and type of interaction. Doping strategies in all complexes impressively reformed charge transfer characteristics such as narrowing band gap (E g) in the range of 2.58-4.73 eV and enhanced λ max lying in the range of 368-536 nm as compared to pure GY with 5.78 eV E g and 265 nm λ max for (GY@Agcenter-GY@3Agcenter). In the case of (2GY@Agcenter-2GY@3Agcenter), when compared to 2GY with 5.58 eV E g and 275 nm absorption, maximum doping techniques have more effectively modified λ max in the region of 400-548 nm and E g, which is in the order of 2.55-4.62 eV. GY@3Agcenter and 2GY@3Agcenter reflected a noteworthy increment in linear polarizability α O (436.90 au) and (586 au) and the first hyperpolarizability β O (5048.77 au) and (17 270 au) because of their lowest excitation energy (ΔE) when studied in comparison with GY (α O = 281.54 and β O = 0.21 au) and 2GY surface (α O = 416 and β O = 0.06 au). Focusing on harmony between the tiny Ag clusters and graphyne surface as well as their influences on NLO properties, graphyne doping using its two-unit cells (2GY) is found to be expedient for the development of future nanoscale devices.

Sensing of Acetaminophen Drug Using Zn-Doped Boron Nitride Nanocones: a DFT Inspection

During environmental testing, scientists face the problem of developing and designing a new type of sensor electrode with distinguished stability, high activity, and cost-effectiveness to detect acetaminophen (ACE). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to investigate the interaction and electrical response of Zn-doped and pristine boron nitride nanocones (BNNCs) with and to ACE with the disclination angle of 240°. The adsorption energy for ACE in the Zn-doped was - 56.94 kJ.mol^-1. This value for BNNCs was approximately - 26.11 kJ.mol^-1. Furthermore, after the adsorption of ACE, the value of band gap (E_g) for Zn-doped BNNCs decreased significantly (from 4.01 to 3.10 eV), thereby increasing the electrical conductivity. However, E_g value of the pristine BNNCs decreased marginally after the adsorption of ACE. Compared with the pristine BNNCs, the Zn-doped BNNCs could be considered promising materials for the detection of ACE and could be employed in electronic sensors. In the Zn-doped BNNCs, the molecular and electrostatic interactions and the creation of Zn-O bond played key roles in the adsorption of ACE. The Zn-doped BNNCs had other merits such as slight recovery time which was approximately 7.09 ms for the desorption of ACE at ambient temperature.

Two-dimensionalcovalent triazine frameworks as superior nanocarriers for the delivery of thioguanine anti-cancer drugs: a periodic DFT study

This work aims to introduce a superior nanocarrier for thioguanine (TG) anti-cancer drug delivery, drug release, and cancer therapy through computational chemistry.

Computational study of therapeutic potential of phosphorene as a nano-carrier for drug delivery of nebivolol for the prohibition of cardiovascular diseases: a DFT study

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were utilized to assess the drug delivery efficiency of phosphorene carrier for nebivolol drug to treat cardiovascular diseases. The optimized structures, excited state, and electronic properties of nebivolol, phosphorene, and nebivolol-phosphorene (nebivolol-PH) complex were considered to determine the drug delivery ability of phosphorene at the target site. The increased dipole moment (6.08 D) results in the higher solubility of the complex in polar solvents (water). Weak interactive forces between nebivolol and phosphorene were demonstrated by the non-covalent interaction (NCI) plot that facilitated the offloading of nebivolol at the targeted area. The analysis of frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) revealed that during excitation, the charge was transferred from nebivolol as a higher occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) to phosphorene as a lower unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO). Thus, the charge-transfer process was further studied by charge decomposition analysis (CDA). The calculated results at the excited state for the nebivolol-PH complex exhibited that the maximum wavelength (λmax) was red-shifted by 6 nm in the gas phase. The electron-hole theory and photoinduced electron transfer (PET) processes were carried out for the exploration of different excited states of the complex. Additionally, phosphorene with + 1 and - 1 charge states indicated the minor structural changes and provide the stable nebivolol-PH complex. This theoretical study also investigated that phosphorene can be exploited as an effective carrier for the delivery of a therapeutic agent as nebivolol to treat cardiovascular diseases. This work will also encourage the researchers to investigate the other 2D nanoparticles as a nano-drug delivery system (NDDS).