Graphene oxide/chitosan/manganese/folic acid-brucine functionalized nanocomposites show anticancer activity against liver cancer cells

Abstract

Abstract Nanomedicine is the application of nanomaterials and nanotechnology to the development of novel pharmaceuticals and drug delivery mechanisms. The present study synthesized a functionalized nanocomposite (NC) containing graphene oxide (GO), chitosan (Ch), manganese (Mn), folic acid (FA), and brucine. The anticancer properties of the synthesized GO/Mn/Ch/FA-Brucine NCs were evaluated against liver cancer cells. GO/Mn/Ch/FA-Brucine NCs were characterized using several characterization techniques. The growth of HepG2 and Hep3B cells was analyzed using the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay. The cell apoptosis was examined through dual staining. The levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers were measured using the corresponding assay kits. Various characterization assays revealed the formation of crystalline GO/Mn/Ch/FA-Brucine NCs with tetragonal and agglomerated morphologies, various stretching and bonding, and an average particle size of 136.20 nm. GO/Mn/Ch/FA-Brucine NCs have effectively inhibited the viabilities of HepG2 and Hep3B cells. The NCs increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and reduced antioxidants and inflammatory mediators, thereby promoting apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells. Our findings indicate that GO/Mn/Ch/FA-Brucine NCs can inhibit viability and promote apoptosis in liver cancer HepG2 cells.