Nucleotide Interaction with a Chitosan Layer on a Silica Surface: Establishing the Mechanism at the Molecular Level

The growing interest in gene therapy is coupled with the strong need for the development of safe and efficient gene transfection vectors. A composite based on chitosan and fumed silica has been found to be a prospective gene delivery carrier. This study presents an investigation of the nature of the bonds between a series of nucleotides with a chitosan layer deposited on a fumed silica surface. Experimentally measured surface complex formation constants (logK) of the nucleotides were found to be in the range of 2.69-4.02, which is higher than that for the orthophosphate (2.39). Theoretically calculated nucleotide complexation energies for chitosan deposited on the surface range from 11.5 to 23.0 kcal·mol^-1, in agreement with experimental data. The adsorption of nucleotides was interpreted using their calculated speciation in an aqueous solution. Based on the structures of all optimized complexes determined from quantum-chemical PM6 calculations, electrostatic interactions between the surface-located NH₃⁺ groups and -PO₃H^--/-PO₃^2- fragments of the nucleotides were identified to play the decisive role in the adsorption mechanism. The saccharide fragment of monophosphates also plays an important role in the binding of the nucleotides to chitosan through the creation of hydrogen bonds.