Biological relevance of CuFeO2 nanoparticles: Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity, genotoxicity, DNA and protein interactions

Abstract

Heterometal oxide nanoparticles of bioessential metals are shedding new light to nanoparticleinspired bioapplications. Pairing bioreactive elements like copper and iron can affect the redox dynamic and biological profile of the nanomaterial. Given the complexity of physicochemical properties, biological activity and toxicity concerns, extensive exploration is demanded, especially when active and less active oxidation states participate as in case of cuprous-ferric delafossite CuFeO2 (copper(I)-iron(III)), a less widespread nanomaterial. In that vein, CuFeO2 nanoparticles were synthesized and biological profile was evaluated in comparison with cuprous oxide (Cu2O NPs) counterpart, an already established antimicrobial agent. Interactions with bacteria, proteins and DNA were examined. Cu2O NPs exhibited stronger antibacterial activity (IC50 <25 μg/ml) than CuFeO2 NPs (IC50>100 μg/ml). In vitro exposure of nanoparticles on plasmid DNA unveiled toxicity in the form of DNA damage for Cu2O and enhanced biocompatibility for CuFeO2 NPs. Genotoxicity estimated by the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges, cytostaticity based on the proliferating rate indices and cytotoxicity based on the mitotic indices at human peripheral lymphocyte cultures were all significantly lower in the case of CuFeO2 NPs. Furthermore, through in vitro albumin denaturation assay, CuFeO2 NPs showed better performance in protein denaturation protection, correlating in superior antiinflammatory activity than Cu2O and similar to acetylsalicylic acid. Synergy of copper(I)iron(III) in nanoscale is apparent and gives rise to fruitful bioapplications and perspectives.

Targeting Plasmids to Limit Acquisition and Transmission of Antimicrobial Resistance

“…Another advantage of using nanoparticles is that their antibacterial action can be maintained for an extended period of time with no loss in stability (Cheow and Hadinoto, 2014). Platinum and copper nanoparticles are instrumental in the elimination of resistance plasmids as they interact with the supercoiled plasmid DNA or with topoisomerases involved in replication, transcription, and recombination processes, ultimately leading to elimination of the plasmids (Lakshmi et al, 1988;Lakshmi and Polasa, 1991;Antonoglou et al, 2019). Copper nanoparticles have also been used in plasmid DNA degradation experiments as well as for blocking plasmid conjugation (Chatterjee et al, 2014;Klumper et al, 2017).…”

Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Antimicrobial Applications

“…Cu NPs exhibited bactericidal effect against E. coli, S. aureus , and S. mutans , while Ni and Cu–Ni NPs exhibited almost similar effect against the same microorganisms (Argueta-Figueroa et al, 2014 ). In 2019, Antonoglou et al ( 2019 ) reported the antimicrobial performance of Cu–FeO 2 and Cu 2 O NPs, both synthesized by employing the hydrothermal method. The Cu–FeO 2 NPs were found to be small crystalline particles with sizes of around 90–220 nm, while Cu 2 O NPs had a size of around 24.5 nm.…”

Metal Oxide Nanoparticles in Therapeutic Regulation of Macrophage Functions

“…Currently, MONPs of almost 30 different chemical elements are described [5]. Among the most common are alumina [6,7], cerium [8], cobalt [9], copper [10], iron [11,12], gadolinium [13], hafnium [14], magnesium [15], manganese [16], silica, titanium [17], and zinc [18] MONPs.…”

“…MONPs are of particular interest as they exhibit minor toxicity toward the immune cells and are able to reshape immunity both on local or systemic levels. The immunotherapeutic potential of these NPs for MФ activities and the immune system, in general, is an emerging issue (Table 1) [10,52,53,54].…”

“…MФs treated with LPS or IFN gamma in vitro turned into M1 and showed increased activity of NFκB and STAT1 transcription factors (TFs) and higher production of IL1a, IL6, and TNF alpha. Zinc or cerium MONPs can re-direct MФs towards M2 profile, reducing the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines as demonstrated for primary blood monocytes and cell lines [10,60,88]. In vivo, ZnO and TiO NPs significantly reduced acute inflammation in burn wounds, pneumonia, autoimmune, and systemic LPS-driven pathologies [60,61,62,89,90].…”