Quercetin (QRC), a flavonoid found in foods and plants such as red wine, onions, green tea, apples, and berries, possesses remarkable anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These properties make it effective in combating cancer cells, reducing inflammation, protecting against heart disease, and regulating blood sugar levels. To enhance the potential of inclusion complexes (ICs) containing β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) in cancer therapy, they were transformed into nano-inclusion complexes (NICs). In this research, NICs were synthesized using ethanol as a reducing agent in the nanoprecipitation process. By employing FT-IR analysis, it was observed that hydrogen bonds were formed between QRC and β-CD. Moreover, the IC molecules formed NICs through the aggregation facilitated by intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Proton NMR results further confirmed the occurrence of proton shielding and deshielding subsequent to the formation of NICs. The introduction of β-CDs led to the development of a distinctive feather-like structure within the NICs. The particle sizes were consistently measured around 200 nm, and both SAED and XRD patterns indicated the absence of crystalline NICs, providing supporting evidence. Through cytotoxicity and fluorescence-assisted cell-sorting analysis, the synthesized NICs showed no significant damage in the cell line of MCF-7. In comparison to QRC alone, the presence of high concentrations of NICs exhibited a lesser degree of toxicity in normal human lung fibroblast MRC-5 cells. Moreover, the individual and combined administration of both low and high concentrations of NICs effectively suppressed the growth of cancer cells (MDA-MB-231). The solubility improvement resulting from the formation of QRC-NICs with β-CD enhanced the percentage of cell survival for MCF-7 cell types.
Recently, researchers have employed metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for loading pharmaceutically important substances. MOFs are a novel class of porous class of materials formed by the self-assembly of organic ligands and metal ions, creating a network structure. The current investigation effectively achieves the loading of adenosine (ADN) into a metal–organic framework based on cyclodextrin (CD) using a solvent diffusion method. The composite material, referred to as ADN:β-CD-K MOFs, is created by loading ADN into beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) with the addition of K+ salts. This study delves into the detailed examination of the interaction between ADN and β-CD in the form of MOFs. The focus is primarily on investigating the hydrogen bonding interaction and energy parameters through the aid of semi-empirical quantum mechanical computations. The analysis of peaks that are associated with the ADN-loaded ICs (inclusion complexes) within the MOFs indicates that ADN becomes incorporated into a partially amorphous state. Observations from SEM images reveal well-defined crystalline structures within the MOFs. Interestingly, when ADN is absent from the MOFs, smaller and irregularly shaped crystals are formed. This could potentially be attributed to the MOF manufacturing process. Furthermore, this study explores the additional cross-linking of β-CD with K through the coupling of -OH on the β-CD-K MOFs. The findings corroborate the results obtained from FT-IR analysis, suggesting that β-CD plays a crucial role as a seed in the creation of β-CD-K MOFs. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the MOFs is assessed in vitro using MDA-MB-231 cells (human breast cancer cells).
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