A new chitosan-thymine conjugate: synthesis, characterization and biological activity

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Antimicrobial Research

Background:

• Chitosan, a biopolymer, possesses inherent antimicrobial properties.
• Conjugation with nucleobases like thymine is explored to enhance chitosan's therapeutic potential.
• Nucleobase-modified biomaterials offer novel avenues for biomedical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel chitosan-thymine conjugate.
• To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the synthesized conjugate against various pathogens.
• To assess the anti-cancer efficacy and cytotoxicity of the conjugate on liver cancer cells and normal cells.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of chitosan-thymine conjugate via reaction with thymine-1-yl-acetic acid and acylation.
• Characterization using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
• Microbiological screening against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Aspergillus niger; cytotoxicity assays on HepG2 and NIH 3T3 cells.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis and characterization of the chitosan-thymine conjugate confirmed by spectroscopic and analytical techniques.
• Demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against tested bacteria (E. coli, S. aureus) and fungi (A. niger).
• Showed dose-dependent inhibition of human liver cancer cell (HepG2) proliferation with no observed toxicity in mouse embryonal fibroblast cells (NIH 3T3).

Conclusions:

• The synthesized chitosan-thymine conjugate exhibits potent antimicrobial and selective anti-cancer activities.
• This novel conjugate represents a promising candidate for developing new therapeutic agents in biomedical applications.
• Chitosan-nucleobase conjugates offer a versatile platform for enhanced biological functionalities.