Antioxidant activity of omega-3 derivatives and their delivery via nanocages and nanocones: DFT and experimental in vivo investigation

The antioxidant properties of omega-3 were investigated via experimental in vivo and theoretical methods. For experimental evaluation, oxidative stress was induced by 30 min bilateral renal ischemia and 24 h of reperfusion in male Sprague Dawley rats. The oxidative stress was evaluated through measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) levels in renal tissue. In theoretical methods, the reaction enthalpies of antioxidant mechanisms of omega-3 were calculated and the effects of NHMe, OMe, OH, Cl, and Me substituents on its antioxidant activity were investigated. Moreover, the omega-3 delivery potential by carbon and boron nitride nanocages and naocones were evaluated. The experimental results showed that omega-3 administration decreases MDA and increases FRAP levels after their changes by ischemia/reperfusion. Theoretical results indicated that NHMe and OMe substituents can significantly improve the antioxidant activity of omega-3. Also, boron nitride nanocone (BNNC) has higher |∆E_ad| values, so it has higher potential for omega-3 delivery. Taken together, the new findings presented here indicate that omega-3 has anti-oxidative properties and NHMe and OMe substituents can improve its antioxidant activity. Moreover, adsorption of omega-3 on the surface of the studied nanostructures was exothermic, and BNNC with higher |∆Ead| values has higher potential for omega-3 delivery. Graphical abstract The interaction and adsorption of BNNC with omega-3 is exothermic and experimentally possible from the energetic viewpoint, so the BNNC with higher |∆E_ad| and |∆G_ad| values has higher potential for omega-3 delivery.