SYNTHESIS OF MEDICINAL LEECH (HİRUDO VERBANA) SALIVA-INCORPORATED HYBRID NANOFLOWERS AND EVALUATIONS OF THEIR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS

Herein, we reported the formation of medicinal leech saliva (LS)-incorporated organic-inorganic nanoflower (LS-NF) with peroxidase mimic and antimicrobial activities. The medicinal leech saliva was used as an organic component and copper ion (Cu2+) acted as an inorganic part in the synthesis of LS-NF. Leech saliva was obtained from medicinal leeches Hirudo verbana, contains various amino acids, and it can react with Cu2+ ions in phosphate buffer through its accessible amine groups to form flower-shaped structures. These LS-NFs showed quite uniform and monodispersed morphology. They were systematically characterized with SEM, FTIR, and XRD for evaluation of morphology, bond vibrations, and crystal structure, respectively. The LS-NF acted as a Fenton reagent in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), then we investigated their peroxidase-like and antimicrobial activities through the Fenton reaction.