Alkali metal-doped borospherenes M@C4B32 (M = K, Na, and Li) as a highly efficient alternative for the drug delivery

J Mol Model. 2023 Apr 17;29(5):147. doi: 10.1007/s00894-023-05548-x.

Abstract

Context: Nanomaterials enjoy a great surface-to-surface area ratio, small size, extremely high stability, satisfactory bio-compatibility, improved permeability, specificity in receptor targeting, and tunable lifetime. This paper investigates alkali metal-doped borospherenes M@C4B32 (in which M denotes K, Na, and Li) as a highly efficient alternative for the delivery of drugs using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A borospherene with a B36 nanocage doped with four C atoms (i.e., C4B32) recently showed promising performance. Therefore, the present work investigates C4B32 nanoclusters doped with alkali metals for the effective delivery of drugs.

Methods: This paper primarily seeks to evaluate the interaction between thioguanine (TG) as a cancer drug and pristine M@C4B32 through DFT (PBE/6-31 + G (d)) calculations. The UV-Vis spectroscopy indicated a redshift in the complex electronic spectra to higher wavelengths (i.e., lower energy levels). Hence, K@C4B32 was concluded to be effective in TG delivery.

Keywords: Borospherene; DFT; Delivery; Drug; Nanocage.

MeSH terms

  • Ions / chemistry
  • Lithium
  • Metals, Alkali* / chemistry
  • Quantum Theory*
  • Sodium

Substances

  • Metals, Alkali
  • Lithium
  • Sodium
  • Ions