Novel drug delivery materials: Chitosan polymers conjugated with Spondias pinnata phytocompounds for enhanced anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties

The current study aimed to investigate the drug delivery potential of chitosan-conjugated Spondias pinnata phytocompounds for anticancer and antibacterial applications. The phytochemical composition of the aqueous extract of S. pinnata plant leaves revealed seven major compounds, including stearic acid, 2H-Indol-2-one, beta amyrin, oleic acid, octadecanoic acid, 7-hexadecenoic acid, and phytol. Additionally, five minor compounds were identified through GC-MS analysis. SEM analysis of chitosan-conjugated S. pinnata phytocompounds revealed amorphous particles. This demonstrates the attainment of optimized larger crystallites, which differ in size and shape extensively. The antioxidant potential of both the chitosan-conjugated S. pinnata phytocompounds and S. pinnata leaf extracts was evaluated via DPPH and ABTS assays, and the results revealed that the chitosan-conjugated S. pinnata phytocompounds exhibited significant scavenging activity, with IC50 values of 18.20 and 33.15 mu g/mL, respectively. Chitosan-conjugated S. pinnata phytocompounds also demonstrated antibacterial activity against four clinically significant infections, with zones of inhibition ranging from 16 +/- 0.07, 19 +/- 0.10, 17 +/- 0.09, and 19 +/- 0.11 mm against Escherichia coli (MTCC 452), Salmonella typhi (MTCC 733), Klebsiella pneumonia (MTCC 39), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 1688), respectively. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the chitosan-conjugated S. pinnata phytocompounds was assessed against A549 lung cancer cells, and the results revealed a significant reduction in cell viability (33.85) at higher concentrations of 150 mu g/mL. The IC50 values of S. pinnata leaf extract (149.2 mg/mL) and chitosan-conjugated S. pinnata (126.4 mg/mL) toward A549 lung cancer cells were recorded. Overall, the results of the present study highlight the therapeutic applications of chitosan-conjugated S. pinnata phytocompounds, particularly in the context of their anticancer and antibacterial activities.