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.