Abstract
Nanotechnology has provided an unprecedented opportunity in addressing challenges faced by cancer treatment. Nanomaterials represent a promising and versatile method in biomedical applications. PEGylation of nanomaterials is considered as the most effective strategy for commercial relevance. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel solvothermal synthesis of PEGylated tungsten trioxide (PEG-WO3) and Ag-doped PEGylated tungsten trioxide (Ag/PEG-WO3) (1:2 ratio) sheet-like nanocomposites and to investigate the in vitro anticancer activities of PEGylated WO3 and Ag-doped PEGylated tungsten trioxide (Ag/PEG-WO3) (1:2 ratio) nanoparticles on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. The structural, morphological and textural properties were characterized by powder X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscope, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and FTIR. The XRD analysis proved that doping of Ag NPs into the lattice of PEGylated WO3 and TEM image indicated the successful anchoring of spherical-like shape of Ag NPs approximately 6–8 nm in size onto the sheet-like PEGylated WO3. Morphological changes, ATP proliferation, cytotoxicity, caspase activity and nuclear damage of NPs treated an MCF-7 cell line were assessed. The Ag-doped PEGylated WO3 nanoparticles (10 μg/mL) showed more toxicity towards MCF-7 cells in LDH assay (p < 0.05), reduced the proliferation (p < 0.01) and induced the caspase 3/7 activities significantly (p < 0.01). The morphological changes of MCF-7 cells after the treatments and results of Hoechst stain indicated nuclear damage. These results indicate a successful synthesis of a novel solvothermal nanocomposite capable of inducing cancer cell death.
This graph shows the synthesis of PEG-Ag-doped WO3 and its application on breast cancer cells.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the Water Research Commission (Grant No. K5/2563) and Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Johannesburg for partial funding. The authors also thank Spectrum Analytical Facility, the University of Johannesburg for the availability of XRD and TEM for analysis. This work is also based on the research supported by the South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant No. 98337), as well as grants received from the University of Johannesburg (URC), the National Research Foundation (NRF), and the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) – NLC (National Laser Centre) Laser Rental Pool Programme.
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Ngigi, E.M., George, B.P., Abrahamse, H. et al. Cytotoxic effects of novel solvothermal synthesised Ag-doped PEGylated WO3 sheet-like nanocomposites on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. J Nanopart Res 22, 195 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-04929-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-04929-0