Preparation of pillar[5]arene functionalized silica gel hybrid material: investigation of biological (antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-cancer) properties

The current study presents the incorporation of APTMS and pillar[5]arene groups into the molecular structures of silica gel materials whose structures were elucidated by characterization techniques such as SEM, FT-IR, and TGA. Comprehensive biological applications of these derivatives such as antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer were evaluated for the first time in the study. The data show the effectiveness of the silica gel materials, especially Si-APTMS-pillar[5]arene, in the fight against pathogenic microorganisms with its strong antibacterial properties against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. They also reveal that these materials have significant antioxidant pharmacological potential with their significant DPPH scavenging activities. The results obtained from cytotoxicity studies highlight their potential as anticancer agents, with the synthesized silica gel materials, especially Si-APTMS-pillar[5]arene materials, having a greater inhibitory effect on cancer cell lines compared to healthy cell lines over a 24 h period. This comprehensive research illustrates the promising versatility of the silica gel materials in a variety of biomedical and environmental applications, including cancer therapy, antimicrobial strategies, and free radical neutralization.