Biochemical changes in cancer cells induced by photoactive nanosystem based on carbon dots loaded with Ru-complex

Maja D Nešić; Tanja Dučić; Mara Gonçalves; Milutin Stepić; Manuel Algarra; Juan Soto; Branislava Gemović; Teresa J Bandosz; Marijana Petković

doi:10.1016/j.cbi.2022.109950

Biochemical changes in cancer cells induced by photoactive nanosystem based on carbon dots loaded with Ru-complex

Chem Biol Interact. 2022 Jun 1:360:109950. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2022.109950. Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Authors

Maja D Nešić¹, Tanja Dučić², Mara Gonçalves³, Milutin Stepić⁴, Manuel Algarra⁵, Juan Soto⁶, Branislava Gemović⁷, Teresa J Bandosz⁸, Marijana Petković⁴

Affiliations

¹ Center for Light-based Research and Technology COHERENCE, Department of Atomic Physics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: maki@vin.bg.ac.rs.
² ALBA-CELLS Synchrotron, MIRAS Beamline, Cerdanyola Del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
³ CQM-Madeira Chemistry Research Centre, University of Madeira, Funchal, Portugal.
⁴ Center for Light-based Research and Technology COHERENCE, Department of Atomic Physics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
⁵ INAMAT(2) - Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics, Public University of Navarre, Campus de Arrosadia, 31006, Pamplona, Spain. Electronic address: manuel.algarra@unavarra.es.
⁶ Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
⁷ Laboratory for Bioinformatics and Computational Chemistry, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
⁸ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The City College of New York, 160 Convent Ave, NY, 10031, USA.

PMID: 35430259
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2022.109950

Abstract

Carbon dots (CDs) and N-carbon dots (N-CDs) loaded with Ru-complex (CDs@RuCN, N-CDs@RuCN, respectively) were investigated as media imposing biochemical changes induced by UV illumination of ovarian cancer, A2780, and osteosarcoma, CAL72, cells. Synchrotron radiation-based Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy was performed, and the spectra were subjected to a Principal Component Analysis. The CDs@RuCN and N-CDs@RuCN effects on cancer cells were analyzed by the theoretical modelling of the stability of the composite systems and a protein database search. Moreover, a detailed evaluation of surface and optical properties of CDs@RuCN and N-CDs@RuCN was carried out. Results demonstrated selective action of the CDs@RuCN and N-CDs@RuCN-based photodynamic therapy, with N-CDs@RuCN being the most active in inducing changes in A2780 and CDs@RuCN in CAL72 cells. We assume that different surface charges of nanoparticles led to direct interactions of N-CDs@RuCN with a Wnt signalling pathway in A2780 and those of CDs@RuCN with PI3-K/Akt in CAL72 cells and that further biochemical changes occurred upon light illumination.

Keywords: Anticancer photodynamic therapy; Biochemical changes; Carbon dots; N-doped carbon dots; Ru-metallodrug.

MeSH terms

Carbon / chemistry
Cell Line, Tumor
Female
Humans
Nanoparticles*
Ovarian Neoplasms*
Quantum Dots* / chemistry

Substances

Carbon