Oscillatory Dynamics in Paclitaxel-Proteinoid Networks

Paclitaxel is a common chemotherapy drug that targets microtubules. Most research has focused on itspharmacological effects. Yet, its electrochemical properties have received less attention. This study looksat the electrical oscillations and electrochemical behavior of paclitaxel. It does this when paclitaxel entersproteinoid microspheres. These microspheres mimic the conditions found in living cells. We used four methodsto study pure paclitaxel, proteinoid–paclitaxel mixtures, and related proteinoid systems: scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and square wavevoltammetry (SWV). Our results show that adding paclitaxel changes proteinoid shape. It creates connectedfibrous networks and boosts electrical conductivity by 100 times compared to pure paclitaxel. The proteinoid–paclitaxel mixture shows diffusion-controlled redox processes. It has a diffusion coefficient of 1.73 × 10−4 cm2/s.The mixture also exhibits stable oscillatory behavior for long periods. Plus, it maintains a high signal coherenceof 0.975. SWV analysis reveals that the mixture’s redox peak around −0.6 V is broader and significantly tallerthan that of pure paclitaxel, reflecting enhanced electron transfer dynamics. Comparative analysis shows thatL-Glu:L-Phe proteinoid has the highest dynamic response, with 228 oscillation peaks and brown noise features.In contrast, the L-Glu:L-Phe mixture exhibits the most chaotic behavior, marked by a Lyapunov exponentof λ = 0.1619. This chaotic behavior and the mixture’s high conductivity suggest that proteinoid-paclitaxelsystems could mimic the MHz signal bursts caused by microtubules. This has been observed in patients underanesthesia. These findings suggest that proteinoid–paclitaxel systems might be new tools. They can help usstudy microtubule dynamics, create drug delivery systems, and explore bioelectrical phenomena in syntheticbiology.These systems could act as models to study bioelectrical phenomena linked to consciousness. Theyconnect synthetic biology with the brain’s neural correlates of consciousness.