Assessment of dihydropyrimidinone-based nanocomposites as multifunctional anti-cancer drug

Abstract

Dihydropyrimidinones, which are known as Biginelli compounds, have been found to be tumor inhibitors in the last decade. Herein, novel carbon quantum dot–dihydropyrimidinone (CQD–DHPM) nanocomposites were prepared via a simple conjugation process by varying the ratio of DHPM to CQDs. This conjugation endowed fluorescence properties to the medicinal DHPM compound and offered multifunctionality. CQD–DHPM nanocomposites were tested for their anti-cancer activity against the human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cell line. It was found that conjugating CQDs with DHPM improved its anti-cancer activity and reduced its cytotoxicity towards healthy cells. The fluorescence properties of composites also enabled them to serve as bioimaging fluorophores.