Honors College Theses

Publication Date

2026

Major

Biochemistry (B.S.)

Release Option

Open Access

Faculty Mentor

Rocío Laura Pérez

Abstract

As cancer remains one of the greatest threats to the global population, the development of chemotherapeutic agents that are selective and tunable is of critical importance. Herein, a series of Rose Bengal (RB)-based GUMBOS, a group of uniform materials based on organic salts, were synthesized via counterion exchange between [Na]2[RB] and three organic cations: tetrabutylphosphonium bromide [TBP][Br], tetraphenylphosphonium chloride [TPP][Cl], and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [C12MIm][Cl]. The resulting GUMBOS were characterized through FT-IR, ESI-MS, NMR, and UV-Vis Spectroscopy. Partition coefficient studies indicated all GUMBOS exhibited hydrophobic physiochemical characteristics. These hydrophobic RB-based GUMBOS were formed into nanoparticles via reprecipitation method and exhibited average diameter sizes below 85 nm with moderately negative zeta potentials all below -30 mV. Permeability through biological membranes was assessed by an in vitro PAMPA assay, revealing enhanced passive diffusion at 10 µM solutions. The cytotoxic activity of the nanoparticles was assessed in A549 lung carcinoma cells as well as the noncancerous HEK239 human embryonic kidney cells. The A549 cell line exhibited mainly apoptotic characteristics, with a lower average cell viability of 22.6% from treatment with [C12MIm]2[RB] nanoGUMBOS. Moreover, the HEK239 cells exhibited a higher viability of 47.1% with the same treatment. IC50 of the [C12MIm]2[RB] nanoGUMBOS treatment on cancerous cells was 2.16 µM, with a selectivity index of 2.1. These findings demonstrate the novelty of RB-based nanoGUMBOS as tunable and selective chemotherapeutic agents.

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