Madalina-Anca UJICA1, Cristina-Teodora DOBROTĂ2,3,4, Gheorghe TOMOAIA4,5, Cristina-Lavinia ROȘOIU3, Aurora MOCANU1, Maria TOMOAIA-COTIȘEL1,4
Abstract.
The way gold nanoparticles, GNP, functionalized with various compounds, interact with cell membranes is of great interest for medical applications. The compounds used were trans-resveratrol, R, piperine, P, and icariin, Ic, with anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as doxorubicin, D, with anticancer activity. Through the self-assembly mechanism, these compounds made a coating layer on the surface of gold, generating GNP@R/P/Ic/D nano drug carriers. They were developed to transport the active compounds into the cancer cell. The self-assembled layer on GNP was achieved through non-covalent interactions, including hydrogen bonds and electrostatic forces, which provide excellent stability to the functionalized nanoparticles and enhanced bioavailability of these compounds. Functionalized GNPs can interact with cell membranes and penetrate into cancer cells through various mechanisms, where they act on the DNA and might induce programmed cell death. Moreover, this study presents some interaction mechanisms of nanoparticles with cell membranes, such as cellular blebbing, which is an approach to destroy cancer cells. Thus, this study contributes to the understanding of action mechanisms of various anticancer compounds on cancerous membranes and cells.
Keywords: gold nanoparticles, cell membranes, cancer cells, doxorubicin, blebbing formation mechanism
DOI 10.56082/annalsarscibio.2025.1.139
[1]Chem. Eng., PhD student, Scientific Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, 11 Arany Janos St., 400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, (madalina.ujica@ubbcluj.ro).
2Assistant Professor, PhD, Scientific Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, 11 Arany Janos St., 400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
3Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 44 Republicii St., 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania,
4Academy of Romanian Scientists, 3 Ilfov St. 050044 Bucharest, Romania (cristina.dobrota@ubbcluj.ro)
5Prof., Habil., MD, PhD, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 47 General Traian Moşoiu St., 400132 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; 4Academy of Romanian Scientists, 3 Ilfov St., 050044 Bucharest, Romania, (tomoaia2000@yahoo.com).
3Student, Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 44 Republicii St., 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, (cristina.rosoiu@stud.ubbcluj.ro)
[1]Assistant professor, PhD, Scientific Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, 11 Arany Janos St., 400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, (mocanu.aurora@gmail.com).
[1]Prof., PhD, CS1, Scientific Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, 11 Arany Janos St., 400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; 4Academy of Romanian Scientists, 3 Ilfov St., 050044 Bucharest, Romania, (mcotisel@gmail.com, maria.tomoaia@ubbcluj.ro) Corresponding author.
PUBLISHED in Annals Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Biological Sciences, Volume 14 no 1, 2025