Determination of anticancer activity and biosynthesis of Cu, Zn, and Co hybrid nanoflowers with Tribulus terrestris L. extract

Abstract

In this work, a green process for the synthesis and characterization of hybrid nanoflowers was proposed, wherein Tribulus terrestris L. extract functioned as the organic component and Cu (II), Zn (II) and Co (II) metal ions as the inorganic element during the formation of the nanoflowers. To characterize the synthesized hybrid nanoflowers (hNFs), the morphologies were investigated using SEM, EDX, FT-IR analysis, elemental mapping, and XRD spectroscopy. The cytotoxic effect of hNFs was investigated to test biological activity. A549 cell lines and the MTT staining method were used for the anticancer activity of T. terrestris L. extract and hNFs. Differences in SEM images were observed as the metal content changed. Cytotoxic evaluations have shown that Co nanoflower may be a safer therapeutic alternative than plant extracts and other nanoflowers. It was observed that Zn and Cu hybrid nanoflowers were influential on the cell line up to a specific concentration, but as the concentration increased, they increased cell viability. It was observed that metal hybrid nanoflowers increased the anticancer activity compared to T. terrestris L. extract. These results can contribute to developing adequate new-generation preparations for A549 (lung cancer) problems of nanoflowers synthesized using T. terrestris L. extract. In summary, this study has been conducted for the first time.