Arslan, Nevin; Yılmaz, Burcu Somtürk; Özkan, Ahmet İsmail; Gültekin, Deniz Canbolat; Işık, Uğur; Azizoğlu, Murat; Türkmenoğlu, Burçin; Turgut, Yılmaz

Flower-like structures known as organic–inorganic hybrid nanoflowers (hNFs) are nanostructures that can be produced by combining organic and inorganic components. In this study, β-hydroxyamide–based compounds were used to synthesize copper hybrid nanoflowers (CuhNFs), and their in vitro cytotoxic activities were evaluated. The synthesized CuhNFs were characterized using SEM, EDX, elemental mapping, FT-IR, and XRD analyses to determine their morphological and structural properties. Cytotoxic effects were assessed on A549 lung cancer cells using the MTT assay. Among the tested samples, NM3-CuhNFs and NM5-CuhNFs exhibited the highest cytotoxicity at 125 μg/mL, with 24% and 32.5% inhibition, respectively. Overall, copper hybrid nanoflowers demonstrated greater cytotoxic activity than the parent β-hydroxyamide compounds. Cell viability decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. Based on these findings, NM3 and NM5 were further analyzed through molecular docking studies against EGFR, caspase-8, and PI3Kα. Both compounds showed favorable interactions with the selected targets, and their binding modes were elucidated in silico. These results indicate that β-hydroxyamide–derived copper hybrid nanoflowers may serve as promising candidates for the development of novel therapeutic strategies against lung cancer. This study represents the first report on the fabrication and biological evaluation of hybrid nanoflowers derived from β-hydroxyamide-based compounds. Future more comprehensive in vitro and in vivo studies are required to confirm the therapeutic efficacy and safety profile.

Somturk-Yilmaz, Burcu; Turkmenoglu, Burçin; Akkoc, Senem

In recent years, hybrid nanoflowers (hNFs), the newest class of nanoparticles, have been highly preferred due to their excellent activity and stability. In this study, hybrid nanoflower synthesis was carried out using N1-phenylbenzene-1,2-diamine and 1,2-phenylenediamine as the organic part and copper(II) metal ions as the inorganic part. In the first stage, the characterization of the synthesized hybrid nanoflowers was carried out using various techniques. For the characterization of the synthesized hNFs, structure elucidation was performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy and elemental mapping. In the other study stage, the cytotoxic effects of hybrid nanoflowers were evaluated using A549 and MCF7 cell lines. When 1,2-phenylenediamine and N1-phenylbenzene-1,2-diamine were converted into CuhNFs, it was effective in MCF7 and A549 cell lines. Docking studies were performed using the Prime MM-GBSA method to estimate binding affinities and determine the binding mode. ADME analysis was performed using the Schrödinger 2021-2 QikProp wizard. Support was obtained from molecular docking to confirm the potential of N1-phenylbenzene-1,2-diamine and 1,2-phenylenediamine compounds for both breast and lung cancer. Molecular docking studies can provide information about binding interactions between compounds with identified targets, which may explain their inhibitory activity. A better result can be obtained by examining the binding patterns in the active binding region of the compounds through molecular docking.