Biothermodynamic, antiproliferative and antimicrobial properties of synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles

Abstract Nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely used as anticancer and antibacterial agents. However, before their use in biomedical applications, some in vitro assays should be carried out to investigate their interaction with biological systems. The copper oxide NPs (CuO NPs) were synthesized by hydrothermal method and their interaction with human serum albumin (HSA), leukemia K562 cells and three strains of bacteria was explored by spectroscopic, docking, cellular, and antibacterial investigations. The TEM, DLS, XRD, FTIR, Raman, and UV–visible techniques revealed that synthesized CuO NPs provide a crystalline structure corresponding to CuO nanoclusters with good colloidal stability. Biothermodynamic studies showed that CuO NPs formed a static complex with HSA molecules through hydrogen bonds which was further confirmed by docking analysis. UV–Vis spectroscopy results exhibited that the melting temperature (Tm) of HSA was slightly changed in the presence of CuO NPs. Cellular studies displayed that CuO NPs selectively resulted in the mortality of K562 cells through cell membrane leakage, caspase-9 and -3 activation, and apoptosis. Finally, antibacterial assays depicted that CuO NPs can induce an inhibitory effect in the case of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. In conclusion, this study may provide useful data regarding the protein binding and biomedical applications of NPs.