An international team of researchers from Damghan University, Koozhou University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and Wenzhou Medical University has successfully designed and fabricated a multifunctional nanocomposite that could transform the development of new anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial drugs. The composite catalyst, named Fe₃O₄@PmPDA@UiO-66-NH₂, was constructed using magnetic nanoparticles, polymeric coatings, and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), and has shown a very high efficiency (90–96%) within a short time in the synthesis of bioactive pyrazolopyranopyrimidine derivatives.
According to the Report, biological analyses indicate that these compounds not only inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells (HepG₂) but also have minimal side effects on healthy cells. Moreover, they exhibit strong antioxidant activity (85–98%) and remarkable antibacterial properties against strains such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. These results could pave the way for the future production of advanced drugs and bioactive materials.
Today, one of the major challenges in medical and pharmaceutical sciences is developing new methods for producing bioactive compounds that can simultaneously exhibit multiple therapeutic properties. On one hand, cancer remains one of the most serious global health issues, and the need for new, low-side-effect drugs to combat it is increasingly urgent. On the other hand, the growing bacterial resistance to common antibiotics and the harmful impact of free radicals on cellular health further emphasize the necessity of discovering compounds with antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Under such circumstances, the use of nanomaterials and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as innovative platforms for drug synthesis has opened a new horizon for researchers.
In this context, a joint international research team from Iran, Taiwan, and China has succeeded in designing and fabricating a multifunctional nanocomposite that could bring about a significant breakthrough in the production of modern drugs. The catalyst Fe₃O₄@PmPDA@UiO-66-NH₂ consists of three main components: magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄), the polymeric coating poly(meta-phenylenediamine), and the metal–organic framework UiO-66-NH₂.
The synthesis of this nanocatalyst was multi-step and precise. In the first stage, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) were prepared by a chemical co-precipitation method; these particles, owing to their magnetic properties, enable easy separation and recycling of the catalyst. In the second stage, the metal–organic framework UiO-66-NH₂ was synthesized using a hydrothermal method. This MOF, due to its high stability, porous structure, and amine functional groups, provides a suitable platform for catalytic reactions. In the final stage, a hybrid and stable structure was formed using the polymeric coating poly(meta-phenylenediamine), in which the nanoparticles and MOF were uniformly distributed.
The structural and chemical characteristics of the Fe₃O₄@PmPDA@UiO-66-NH₂ nanocomposite were thoroughly examined using various techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). FESEM images showed that the MOF cages were well-covered with polymer layers and nanoparticles, creating a uniform and active catalytic surface. TGA results also confirmed the high thermal stability of the nanocomposite, which is a key factor in maintaining catalytic performance under different reaction conditions.
This nanocomposite was used in the three-component synthesis reaction of pyrazolopyranopyrimidines, a class of bioactive heterocyclic compounds that have attracted considerable attention due to their potential pharmaceutical properties. Using only 0.05 g of catalyst, the reactions were completed within 15 to 80 minutes, achieving impressive yields above 90%. In addition to the high yield, another major advantage of this method is the simplicity of the reaction steps, the ease of catalyst separation, and its reusability.
However, the significance of this study goes beyond efficient chemical synthesis, as the biological properties of the synthesized compounds were also remarkable. Biological assays showed that these compounds significantly reduced the survival rate of liver cancer cells (HepG₂), while having minimal adverse effects on normal fibroblast cells (NIH/3T3). This indicates the favorable selectivity of these compounds in inhibiting cancer cells while minimizing side effects on healthy tissues—an essential criterion for the development of future anticancer drugs.
In addition to their anticancer activity, these compounds also demonstrated strong antioxidant activity. The results of the tests reported antioxidant activities between 85.3% and 98.3%, reflecting the high capability of these compounds in neutralizing free radicals and reducing oxidative stress—a crucial feature for preventing chronic and inflammatory diseases.
In the antibacterial domain, the synthesized compounds also yielded promising results. Disk diffusion tests showed that these compounds produced inhibition zones of 19 ± 2.0 mm against Staphylococcus aureus (a Gram-positive bacterium) and 10 ± 1.5 mm against Escherichia coli (a Gram-negative bacterium). These results demonstrate the significant antibacterial efficacy of the compounds against bacterial infections.
The researchers emphasized that although this achievement was highly successful at the laboratory scale, there are still challenges in terms of commercialization and large-scale production. These challenges include maintaining catalyst efficiency and uniformity at larger scales and conducting further studies on long-term stability and performance under real conditions. Moreover, although the initial biological tests yielded promising results, additional in vivo and clinical studies are required to better understand the exact mechanisms of action of these compounds.
By integrating magnetic nanoparticles, conductive polymers, and metal–organic frameworks, this study opens a new pathway for the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds and the development of multifunctional bioactive materials. This achievement not only contributes to advances in materials science and pharmaceutical chemistry, but also promises to inspire the design of next-generation anticancer, antibacterial, and antioxidant drugs in the near future.