Experimental and computational interaction studies of terbium (III) and lanthanide (III) complexes containing 2,2′-bipyridine with bovine serum albumin and their in vitro anticancer and antimicrobial activities

Abstract

To investigate the chemotherapeutic and pharmacokinetic aspects of two lanthanide complexes (Tb(III) and La(III) containing 2,2′-bipyridine ligand), in vitro binding studies were carried out with BSA by employing multiple biophysical methods and molecular modeling study. There are different techniques containing fluorescence, absorption spectroscopy and competitive experiments to determine the interaction mode between BSA and these complexes. These complexes efficiently quenched the BSA emission through a static procedure. The results showed that the terbium and lanthanum complexes exhibited a high propensity for BSA interaction via van der Waals force. Further, competitive examination and docking study showed that the interaction site of these complexes on BSA is site III. The results of docking calculations were in good agreement with experimental examinations. Also, the energy transfer from BSA to these complexes has happened with high possibility. Moreover, antimicrobial studies of different bacterial and fungi indicated its promising antibacterial activity. In vitro cytotoxicity of the Tb complex and La complex was carried out in MCF-7 and A-549 cell lines, which revealed significantly good activity.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Keywords:

• Lanthanide complex
• BSA interaction
• molecular docking
• antimicrobial activities
• anticancer activities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The financial supports of Research Councils of University of Sistan and Baluchestan are gratefully acknowledged. K. K. acknowledges financial support from the Canada Research Chair Tier-2 award for “Bioelectrochemistry of Proteins” [Project No. 950-231116], Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation [Project No. 35272], Discovery Grant [Project No. 3655] from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Canada Foundation for Innovation [Project No. 35272].