Adsorption of Diethylstilbestrol Drug into BNNT: DFT/TD-DFT and Spectroscopic (Excited States, UV/Vis and NMR) Studies

Background Cancer has become a significant universal health problem. Anticancer drugs control the chemicals that sacrifice cancer cells by inhibiting their growth in their cell cycle. Interestingly, as much as boron nitride nanosheets and boron nitride nanotubes are degradable and non-toxic, they can act as suitable drug carriers for antitumor drugs and deliver them into target cells. Objective In the present study, the encapsulation of diethylstilbestrol as an anticancer drug into the boron nitride (8,8) nanotube was investigated for the first time using the density functional theory: M06-2X and the natural bond orbital methods in the gas phase. Methods Using natural bond orbital analysis, the charge transfer between diethylstilbestrol drug and boron nitride nanotubes (8,8)/ diethylstilbestrol complex was explored. Results Based on the results obtained from the calculation of encapsulation energy, it was found that the adsorption process was favorable. The interaction effects of diethylstilbestrol drug and boron nitride (8,8) nanotube on the natural bond orbital charge, the chemical shift parameters, and electronic properties were also evaluated. Conclusion This study revealed that boron nitride (8,8) nanotubes can be a suitable carrier for diethylstilbestrol drug delivery. The ultra violet-visible spectra of diethylstilbestrol drug and the boron nitride (8,8) nanotubes/diethylstilbestrol complex were computed using time-dependent density functional theory (: M06-2X calculations.