Targeted Anti-Cancer Therapy Using Lactobionamidoalkyl Sulfure Analogue-Modified Gold Nanoparticles: Design and Characterization

New lactobionamidoalkyl thiol-disulfide compounds were synthesized using lactobionolactone and aminoalkylthiols via amidation ring opening of the cyclic lactobionolactone to give compounds di(n-lactobionamidoalkyl) disulfides (2a-4a), and nlactobionamidoalkyl thiols (2c-4c). These compounds were acetylated to form acetylated di(n-lactobionamidoalkyl) disulfides (2b-4b), and acetylated n-lactobionamidoalkyl thiols (2d-4d), and subsequently utilized to stabilized gold nanoparticles (LAuNPs1-17). These compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods (NMR, Infrared and GCMS), microanalysis, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Zetasizer. The lactobionamidoalkyl thiol and disulfide compounds were effective capping agents of gold nanoparticles via direct and substitution methods except substitution with unacetylated thiols (2c-4c) and disulfides (2a-4a) which decomposed within minutes. In-vitro anticancer screening of selected LAuNPs using acetylated and un-acetylated demonstrated moderate activity against human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line and weak activity against human normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells, except LAuNPs 11 which showed moderate activities towards both cells lines with IC50s of 14.79±3.84 µg/mL and 13.26±6.48 µg/mL respectively.