Plausible antioxidant and anticonvulsant potential of brain targeted naringenin-conjugated graphene oxide nanoparticles

Epilepsy is a condition in the brain cause frequent seizures and related comorbidities. The major hindrance during the design of antiepileptic drugs is their permeability through the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Recently, advancements in biology and engineering have led to the development of nanocomposites for drug delivery through the BBB. In this study, we have fabricated a novel type of nanoparticles using a plant compound, naringenin, with graphene oxide (NGO). The mean size of the fabricated nanoparticles was obtained as 73.1 nm and the polydispersity value was obtained as 3.286 through dynamic light scattering measurement. The average zeta potential value, − 49.6 mV, showed that the nanoparticles were strongly anionic in nature. A fluorescent imaging experiment demonstrated that the fabricated fluorescein isothiocyanice (FITC) tagged NGO nanoparticles localised successfully in adult zebrafish brains. The in vitro antioxidant assay showed that NGO nanoparticles have reduced the levels of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radicals upto 41.5 ± 0.51 and 64.25 ± 1.62%, respectively. In vivo developmental toxicity assessment indicated that NGO nanoparticles were non-toxic to the developing embryo of zebrafish. The percentage of ROS and apoptosis in zebrafish larvae due to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) exposure was significantly reduced by NGO pre-treatment. Additionally, the behavioural analysis showed that NGO could suppress the PTZ-induced convulsant behaviour in adult zebrafish. From the results of both in vitro and in vivo experiments, we concluded that NGO nanoparticles could be used as promising medicine to treat free radical-induced neuronal damage and epilepsy, provided the results need to be reconfirmed in the mammalian model as well as a clinical trial.