Apoptosis‐Inducing Fe ²⁺ / <i>β</i> ‐Cyclodextrin Supramolecular Nano–Particulate Complex as an Anticancer Drug Platform and Cancer‐Diagnostic Tool Prototype

Beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) metal complexes and their biomedical applications constitute an actively developing research field particularly in medicine. Herein, an iron/β-cyclodextrin (Fe(II)-β-CD) nanocomplex, synthesized at room temperature is characterized by various analytical techniques. The complex has a morphology of irregular-particles with an average of 4-10 nm, and displays a porous structure. In vitro, the particles are well-dispersible in the culture medium, which is typically an aqueous solution at pH = 7.4. The particles are stable under physiological conditions and biocompatible with living cells, making them a promising drug-delivery platform candidate. The Fe(II)-β-CD is screened for its anticancer potential against four types of malignant cell lines: liver(HepG2), breast(A549), lung(MCF7), and prostate(PC3) for the evaluation of prospective cytotoxicity properties. The results reveal that the nanocomplex show no cytotoxic effect. The dose response curves and the IC₅₀ of the sample on each cell line are evaluated at different incubation time intervals. The apoptotic mode of cell death is the prevailing mode after 24 and 48 h. Moreover, the molecular docking for the nanocomplex as an anticancer drug against the active site of CD44 glycoprotein (PDB-ID-1poz) is investigated. Based on the obtained results, the prepared complex paves the way for similar biomarkers in cancer treatment.