Avicenna Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Background: Dextran is a polysaccharide that can be chemically modified to produce derivatives with novel properties and applications. End-group aminated dextran can be synthesized by reductive amination using an aminating reagent. This study aimed to prepare an end-group aminated dextran using 1,6-hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) and evaluate its potential cytotoxicity compared to HMDA alone in vitro.

Methods: Dextran was aminated with HMDA using sodium cyanoborohydride. The product was purified by dialysis and lyophilization. Cytotoxicity was assessed in HEK-293 and Vero cell lines and treated with varying concentrations of the aminated dextran or HMDA for 48 hours. Cell viability was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), lipid peroxidation (LPO), total thiol groups (TTG), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity underwent evaluation.

Results: HMDA markedly reduced cell viability in both cell lines in a dose-dependent manner (half-maximal inhibitory concentration=501.20 ppm and 372.00 ppm for HEK-293 and Vero cells, respectively), while the aminated dextran showed no significant cytotoxicity up to 15000 ppm. Biochemical assays revealed that HMDA significantly decreased TAC, TTG, CAT, and SOD but increased LPO and LDH release compared to the control. The aminated dextran did not significantly alter these biochemical markers.

Conclusion: Overall, HMDA induced oxidative stress and cytotoxicity in vitro, while the end-group amination of dextran with HMDA blocked its reactive amine groups and prevented the toxic effects. The synthesized aminated dextran derivative exhibited no cytotoxicity and may have potential biomedical applications. Further studies are warranted to fully characterize its safety profile.