Synthesis, Characterization, in silico DFT, Molecular docking, ADMET Profiling Studies and Toxicity Predictions of Ag(I) Complex Derived from 4‐Aminoacetophenone

Abstract

The reaction of the synthesized (E)‐1‐(4‐((2,4‐dihydroxy‐6‐methylphenyl)diazenyl)phenyl)ethan‐1‐one, (DMPDE) ligand with Ag(I) ion at room temperature resulted in the formation of the complex; [Ag(DMPDE)(H2O)2]. 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FTIR, UV‐Vis, mass spectra, elemental analyses, thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), and molar conductance measurements were done to elucidate the structure of synthetic compounds. The results revealed an interesting geometrical variation; tetrahedral for Ag(I) complex. FT‐IR spectra demonstrated that the ligand (DMPDE) under investigation behaves as a bidentate ligand (N,O) through the nitrogen atom of the azo group which is the farthest of the acetophenone moiety and oxygen phenolic for benzene moiety and forms a stable five‐membered chelating ring. The electronic structure, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) and quantum chemical calculations of the newly synthesized compounds are investigated theoretically at the DFT/B3LYP level of theory. Additionally, the ligand (DMPDE) and Ag(I) complex were screened against the growth of pathogenic bacteria [Actinomycosis (G+), E. Escherichia Coli (G−)] and fungi (Penicillium spp.) compared with the reference antibiotics, Chloramphenicol and Nystatin. Furthermore, 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was used to evaluate the antioxidant activities of the ligand and its complex, which showed they both possess significant antioxidant properties in comparison with L‐ascorbic acid (Vit. C) as standard. Based on docking studies, (DMPDE) and Ag(I) complex demonstrated a greater affinity for (PDB ID: 3T88), which corresponds to Escherichia coli protein (−6.7818 kcal/mol) and (−6.7928 kcal/mol), respectively. Interestingly, the most active Ag(I) complex inside the active site of cervical cancer receptor (PDB ID: 4XR8) demonstrated a higher binding energy (−6.2631 kcal/mol) than free ligand (−5.8561 kcal/mol). In silico, ADMET displayed that compounds obey the Lipinski rule and the “Veber's rule. Consequently, is likely to exhibit oral bioavailability with good LD50 and a safety profile that includes non‐cytotoxicity, non‐immunotoxicity, and non‐skin sensitization. Finally, the compounds synthesized showed significant anticancer activity in human cervical cancer cell lines HeLa and SiHa compared with positive controls (cisplatin) and normal human hepatic cells (WRL‐68). In the present study, all tested cancer cell lines showed promising activity against Ag(I) complex, whose IC50 value ranged from (61.02 to 71.09) μg/mL.