Background:
The growing unsatisfaction toward the available traditional chemotherapeutic agents enhanced the need to
develop new methods for obtaining materials with more effective and safe anti-cancer properties. Over the past few years, usage of
metallic nanoparticles has been a target for researchers of different scientific and commercial fields due to their tiny sizes, environment
friendly properties and wide range applications. To overcome the obstacles of traditional physical and chemical methods for synthesis of
such nanoparticles, a new less expensive and eco-friendly method has been adopted using natural existing organisms as a reducing agent
to mediate synthesis of the desired metallic nanoparticles from their precursors, a process called green biosynthesis of nanoparticles.
Objective:
Here in the present study, zinc iron bimetallic nanoparticles (ZnFe2O4) were synthesized via an aqueous extract of Boswellia
Carteri resin mixed with zinc acetate and iron chloride precursors, and they were tested for their anticancer activity.
Methods:
Various analytic methods were applied for the characterization of the Phyto synthesized ZnFe2O4 and they were tested for their
anticancer activity against MDA-MB-231, K562, MCF-7 cancer cell lines and normal fibroblasts.
Results:
Our results demonstrate the synthesis of cubic structured bimetallic nanoparticles ZnFe2O4 with an average diameter 10.54 nm.
MTT cytotoxicity assay demonstrate that our phyto-synthesized ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles exhibited a selective and potent anticancer activity
against K562 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines with IC50 values 4.53 µM and 4.19 µM, respectively.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, our bio synthesized ZnFe2O4 nano particles show a promising environmentally friendly of low coast
chemotherapeutic approach against selective cancers with a predicted low adverse side effect toward normal cells. Further in vivo
advanced animal research should be done to execute their applicability in living organisms.
Fabrication of ZnO-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles by laser ablation for anticancer activity
