Comparative In Vitro and In Silico Biological Evaluation of o-Phenylenediamine Conjugates Based on Isofunctional-Surfaced Polyanhydride and Citric Acid-Derived Carbon Quantum Nanodots
- 1Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas 58140, Türkiye
- 2Department of Pharmaceutical Basic Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas 58140, Türkiye
- 3Vocational School of Health Services, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon 61080, Türkiye
Abstract
This study aimed to comparatively evaluate the anticancer and antimicrobial activities of conjugates formed from poly(maleic anhydride-co-vinyl acetate) (MAVA) and carbon quantum dots (CNDs) with o-phenylenediamine (o-PDA). o-PDA was chosen as the conjugation agent due to its status as a significant aromatic six-membered diamine, which enables specific reactions in the field of drug discovery. MAVA and CNDs, which are low-toxicity carrier systems, were prepared according to a previously developed protocol and conjugated with o-PDA to yield MAVA/o-PDA and CNDs/o-PDA. The structural characteristics of the conjugates were confirmed by ATR-FTIR and 1H-NMR analyses. The cytotoxic effects of the obtained conjugates on MG-63, A549, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines and healthy WI-38 cells, as well as their antimicrobial activities against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, were evaluated. Additionally, ADMET properties and drug-likeness profiles were analyzed in silico to support the biological findings. While neither conjugate induced significant cytotoxicity in healthy WI-38 cells, they exhibited a stronger cytotoxic effect in cancer cells compared to o-PDA alone and the carrier systems. CNDs/o-PDA was found to be more effective than MAVA/o-PDA in MG-63, A549, and MCF-7 cells, whereas MAVA/o-PDA exhibited stronger activity in C6 cells. The conjugates also exhibited higher antimicrobial activity than their individual components, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria. In general, it has been observed that conjugation with o-PDA can enhance the biological activities of MAVA and CNDs while limiting toxicity in normal cells.
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BibTeX
@article{tunc2026comparative,
title = {{Comparative In Vitro and In Silico Biological Evaluation of o-Phenylenediamine Conjugates Based on Isofunctional-Surfaced Polyanhydride and Citric Acid-Derived Carbon Quantum Nanodots}},
author = {Tutku Tunç and Gülderen Karakuş and Işık Çakmak},
journal = {Biomolecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/biom16101478},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/16/10/1478},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Comparative In Vitro and In Silico Biological Evaluation of o-Phenylenediamine Conjugates Based on Isofunctional-Surfaced Polyanhydride and Citric Acid-Derived Carbon Quantum Nanodots
AU - Tutku Tunç
AU - Gülderen Karakuş
AU - Işık Çakmak
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Biomolecules
DO - 10.3390/biom16101478
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/16/10/1478
AB - This study aimed to comparatively evaluate the anticancer and antimicrobial activities of conjugates formed from poly(maleic anhydride-co-vinyl acetate) (MAVA) and carbon quantum dots (CNDs) with o-phenylenediamine (o-PDA). o-PDA was chosen as the conjugation agent due to its status as a significant aromatic six-membered diamine, which enables specific reactions in the field of drug discovery. MAVA and CNDs, which are low-toxicity carrier systems, were prepared according to a previously developed protocol and conjugated with o-PDA to yield MAVA/o-PDA and CNDs/o-PDA. The structural characteristics of the conjugates were confirmed by ATR-FTIR and 1H-NMR analyses. The cytotoxic effects of the obtained conjugates on MG-63, A549, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines and healthy WI-38 cells, as well as their antimicrobial activities against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, were evaluated. Additionally, ADMET properties and drug-likeness profiles were analyzed in silico to support the biological findings. While neither conjugate induced significant cytotoxicity in healthy WI-38 cells, they exhibited a stronger cytotoxic effect in cancer cells compared to o-PDA alone and the carrier systems. CNDs/o-PDA was found to be more effective than MAVA/o-PDA in MG-63, A549, and MCF-7 cells, whereas MAVA/o-PDA exhibited stronger activity in C6 cells. The conjugates also exhibited higher antimicrobial activity than their individual components, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria. In general, it has been observed that conjugation with o-PDA can enhance the biological activities of MAVA and CNDs while limiting toxicity in normal cells.
SN - 2218-273X
ER -