Novel Water-Soluble Nickel, Copper, and Cobalt Phthalocyanines and Their Glutathione-Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dots Combination as Novel Supramolecular Hybrids: Anticancer and Antibacterial Activities

Abstract

This study reports the synthesis of nickel(II), cobalt(II), and copper(II) phthalocyanines bearing (3-pyridin-4-ylpropoxy) groups on nonperipheral positions. Also, we have synthesized nonperipheral octa-(3-pyridin-4-ylpropoxy) group substituted water-soluble nickel(II), cobalt(II), and copper(II) phthalocyanines. Then, these water-soluble phthalocyanines were immobilized onto the glutathione-functionalized graphene quantum dots (G-GQDs) to form supramolecular hybrids through π–π stacking. We investigated the drug potential for the antibacterial therapies by screening against Escherichia coli, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Bacillus subtilis, and S. aureus. Our results suggest that hybridization of nickel, cobalt, and copper phthalocyanines to G-GQDs enhanced the antibacterial activity up to 8 μg/mL against B. sabtilis in the presence of CoPc@G-GQDs. The anticancer activities were tested against the MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cell line. The viability test results demonstrated the efficacy of these synthesized materials in suppressing cancer cells. Although CuPc@G-GQD treatment of cancer cells was ineffective at all doses, the best activity against the MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cell line was observed with NiPc@G-GQDs with the value of viability in cancer cells of 15.49% at 0.1-mg/mL concentration, compared to the embryonic mouse fibroblast cell line P3T3.