Fabrication of inorganic alumina particles at nanoscale by a pulsed laser ablation technique in liquid and exploring their protein binding, anticancer and antipathogenic activities

Abstract The interaction of nanoparticles with biological systems can provide useful information about their therapeutic applications. The aluminum nanoparticles (Al2O3 NPs) were synthesized by laser ablation technique and well-characterized by different methods. Fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and molecular docking studies were employed to evaluate the effect of Al2O3 NPs on the protein structure. Growth inhibitory and apoptotic effects of the Al2O3 NPs against K562 cancer cells and lymphocyte cells were assessed using [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT), flow cytometry, and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The antipathogenic activity of Al2O3 NPs against a diverse range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens was explored through a disk diffusion method. The characterization techniques determined that the Al2O3 NPs were successfully synthesized in the nanoscales. Intrinsic, 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) and acrylamide fluorescence spectroscopy studies disclosed that Al2O3 NPs can partially change the tertiary structure of human serum albumin (HSA), whereas CD spectroscopy investigation depicted that the secondary structure of HSA remained intact. Molecular docking investigation also manifest that the Al2O3 nano-clusters preferably bind to electrostatic residues. Al2O3 NPs exhibited promising and selective anticancer features through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, apoptosis induction, and elevation of Bax/Bcl-2 mRNA ratio. Furthermore, the Al2O3 NP showed a remarkable antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens. In conclusion, it may be suggested that the synthesized Al2O3 NPs can be integrated in the development of anticancer and antipathogenic agents.