Sedigheh Hashemnia

In this study, a nanocomposite of ZnO nanoparticles and carbon quantum dots (ZnO/CQDs) as a promising drug carrier candidate has been synthesized and characterized. For this purpose, chitosan and citric acid were adopted as carbon sources for synthesis of carbon quantum dots (CQDs). Herein, Donepezil (DPZ) was selected as a model drug. The BSA binding properties of DPZ was analyzed by FT-IR and UV-Vis techniques, electrochemical methods and molecular docking studies in the absence and presence of ZnO/CQDs. The thermodynamic parameters and binding constants of the DPZ with BSA were evaluated by the mentioned methods and molecular docking. Then the results were assessed in the presence of ZnO/CQDs. The changes in the structural properties of BSA in the presence of DPZ, ZnO/CQDs and ZnO/CQDs-DPZ are monitored by ATR- FTIR spectroscopy. Cyclic and differential pulse voltametric techniques and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were applied to investigate the interactions carefully using methylene blue (MB) in electrolyte solution, as redox probe, and the MB redox behavior have been followed to explore the interactions.