Procaine and salicylate‑based ionic liquid: synthesis, in silico, in vitro, biophysical and biological studies
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Herein, we explored the synergistic effect of ionic liquids as anticancer and antibacterial agents to avoid available
combination therapies. We synthesized an API-based ionic liquid (IL) designated as [Pro-pip]SAL to meet our objec
tives. This compound features a cationic moiety derived from procaine and 1,3-benzodioxole, tagged with a salicylate
salt as the anionic counterpart. Molecular docking studies showed that interaction is polar involving H-bonding and
van der Waal forces. Spectroscopic studies were carried out to validate the results of computational studies for the
binding interaction mechanism of [Pro-pip]SAL IL with bovine serum albumin (BSA). The UV–visible spectra showed
an increase in absorbance intensity with bathochromic shift, and fluorescence spectra showed static quenching with
bathochromic shift revealing that polar interaction played an important role in the interaction between Pro-pip]SAL
IL with BSA. CD spectra showed no significant change in the secondary structure of BSA. The antibacterial study
revealed that IL showed significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) bacteria and no effect was
observed on E. coli (gram-negative) bacteria. Cytotoxicity study on Vero cell line (non-cancerous cell line; kidney
epithelium cells of African green monkey) showed IC50 values 207.95 ± 1.25 μM. Cytotoxicity analysis of [Pro-pip]
SAL IL on A549 cell lines revealed antiproliferative properties with an IC50 value of 54.55 ± 0.22 μM. This study
interpreted that Pro-pip]SAL IL could be used as an anticancer and antibacterial drug, warranting further exploration
and development in these therapeutic areas.