Development of Graphene Oxide Nanosheets as Potential Biomaterials in Cancer Therapeutics: An In-Vitro Study against Breast Cancer Cell Line
Abstract Recent advances in nanotechnology and nano biomaterials have attracted considerable attention in the field of cancer therapy. The development of biocompatible nanotherapeutics that selectively target cancer cells is a prime area of interest and current research. The use of graphene is being explored in a variety of sciences, ranging from electronics to biomedical fields. In the present study, graphene oxide nanosheets were synthesized using a modified Hummer’s method. FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-Ray Diffraction analyses were used to characterize the as-synthesized nanosheets. FE-SEM and HR-TEM were also used to examine the structure of the as-synthesized nanosheets. Surface topography and thickness measurements were also conducted by Atomic Force Microscopy. Results indicated that the lateral thickness of the graphene nanosheets was approximately 6.45 nm, which was corroborated by the TEM and AFM analyses. Characteristic defect peaks observed in Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy images along with the respective EDAX calculations confirmed the formation of graphene nanosheets. The potential biomedical application of graphene nanosheets was evaluated by assessing the cytotoxicity of the graphene nanosheets against human breast adenocarcinoma [MDA-MB-231] and HaCaT normal cell lines. Two different in-vitro, anti-oxidant activity assays of Graphene Oxide [GO] were employed, namely DPPH radical and the H2O2 scavenging activity. Antioxidant activity of GO was assessed in a measured concentration-dependent manner to better understand the cytotoxicity of the GO sheets in the different cell lines. The in-vitro tests revealed that the GO sheets had a high level of cytotoxicity to the human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells that was concentration dependent. In contrast, the cytotoxicity of the GO sheets against the HaCaT normal cell line was marginal, suggesting that the graphene nanosheets could be safely used in cancer therapy.
