Vitamin C-induced DNA Cleavage Using Curcumin-loaded Fe₃O₄-silane Magnetic Nanoparticles

Introduction: Superparamagnetic nanoparticles are widely employed in biomedicine, especially in the fields of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), targeted medication delivery, and hyperthermia therapy. Drugs or biomolecules can be used to functionalize SPIONs, and an external magnetic field can be used to direct them to specific areas within the body. This allows for more focused medication administration with fewer systemic adverse effects. In chemotherapy, adjunct therapy is found to be more beneficial, and the use of vitamins and minerals as an add-on drug may improve tolerance. In this study, soft hydrolysis of iron silica core-shell nanoparticles was achieved. The aim was to to study the loading and unloading of curcumin using Fe3O4-silane core-shell nanoparticles. Additionally, Vitamin C was utilized as an add-on drug, and DNA was cleavaged in the presence of Vitamin C, whose effects were also studied. Methods: The curcumin-loaded Fe2O4-silica magnetic nanoparticles (CLFS) were prepared and characterized using various methods. In particular, the nanoparticles were characterised using SEM and XRD spectral techniques. The loading and unloading of curcumin were studied using absorption spectral techniques. The interaction of DNA was studied using emission, CD, electrochemical, and gel electrophoresis techniques. Results: The loading capacity of curcumin was found to be 6.3 higher than that of commercial samples. A significant release of curcumin was observed using absorption spectroscopy after sonication. The DNA binding of CLFS with CT-DNA was confirmed using absorption, emission, CD, and electrochemical studies. Discussion: The effective binding was established using these studies. The increase in the curcumin bioavailability was due to the loading of curcumin in CLFS. The efficient binding was established from the absorption, emission, and CD spectral results. The addition of vitamin C resulted in the breakage of DNA, which was demonstrated using gel electrophoresis studies. Conclusion: The ultimate goal of this novel strategy is to encapsulate curcumin in magnetic nanoparticles so that it can release the compound continuously over a period of seventy hours at a pH that is similar to physiological conditions. In the future, CLFS may be used to treat cancer because it cleaves plasmid DNA into linear form when combined with vitamin C, an add-on medication.