Chemical synthesis, characterization, and anticancer potential of CuO/ZrO2/TiO2/RGO nanocomposites against human breast (MCF-7) cancer cells

Abstract

Nanocomposites (NCs) have attractive potential applications in gas-sensing, energy, photocatalysis, and biomedicine. In the present work, the fabrication of CuO/ZrO₂/TiO₂/RGO nanocomposites (NCs) was done via a simple chemical route. Our aim in this work was to synthesis and investigate the selective anticancer activity of TiO₂ NPs by supporting CuO, ZrO₂, and RGO toward cancer and normal cells. Different analytical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering (DLS), were carefully applied to characterize the physicochemical properties of the produced samples. XRD results showed that the phase and crystal structure of TiO₂ NPs were enhanced after adding CuO, ZrO₂, and RGO. TEM and SEM images showed that CuO/ZrO₂/TiO₂/RGO NCs were similarly distributed on RGO sheets with high crystallinity, excellent quality of lattice fringes, and lower agglomeration compared with pure TiO₂ NPs. EDX and XPS analysis confirmed the presence of elements Cu, Zr, Ti, O, and C in the obtained CuO/ZrO₂/TiO₂/RGO NCs. Raman and FTIR spectra verified the presence of functional groups and crystal structures in the produced samples. PL data showed that the optical properties of TiO₂ improved after adding CuO, ZrO₂, and RGO sheets owing to the reduction in the recombination rate between the electron–hole pair. DLS analysis showed that the prepared CuO/ZrO₂/TiO₂/RGO NCs had excellent colloidal stability and good distribution in the suspension of the media culture. Anticancer results for CuO/ZrO₂/TiO₂/RGO NCs exhibited about 2-fold higher toxicity for 24 h and 4-fold for 48 h against breast cancer (MCF-7) cells than pure TiO₂ NPs, while their biocompatibility was excellent against HUVEC normal cells. Additionally, the IC₅₀ values of CuO/ZrO₂/TiO₂/RGO NCs were 44.19 ± 1.2 μg mL⁻¹ and 24.52 ± 0.8 μg mL⁻¹ for 24 h and 48 h, respectively. These results indicate that adding CuO, ZrO₂, and RGO plays a crucial role in enhancing the anticancer property of TiO₂ NPs. This study suggests that CuO/ZrO₂/TiO₂/RGO NCs could be applied in cancer therapy applications in in vivo models.