In vitro cytotoxic effects of modified zinc oxide quantum dots on breast cancer cell lines (MCF7), colon cancer cell lines (HT29) and various fungi

• Published in: Journal of nanoparticle research : an interdisciplinary forum for nanoscale science and technology 2014-07, Vol.16 (7), p.1-14, Article 2483
• Main Authors: Fakhroueian, Zahra, Dehshiri, Alireza Mozafari, Katouzian, Fatemeh, Esmaeilzadeh, Pegah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Bacillus anthracis; Bacteria; Biotechnology; Cancer; Candida; Candida albicans; Candida tropicalis; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical synthesis methods; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Fatty acids; Inorganic Chemistry; Klebsiella; Lasers; Materials Science; Methods of nanofabrication; Microsporum canis; Microsporum gypseum; Molecular electronics, nanoelectronics; Nanocrystalline materials; Nanoparticles; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanostructure; Nanotechnology; Nonionic surfactants; Optical Devices; Optics; Photonics; Physical Chemistry; Physics; Polyethylene glycol; Polymers; Quantum dots; Reagents; Research Paper; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus epidermidis; Toxicity; Trichophyton mentagrophytes; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 1388-0764; 1572-896X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11051-014-2483-2

An important ideal objective of this study was to perform surface functionalization of fine (1–3 nm) ZnO quantum dot nanoparticles (QD NPs) in order to inhibit decomposition and agglomeration of nanoparticles in aqueous media. Polymers, oily herbal fatty acids, PEG (polyethylene glycol), and organosilanes are the main reagents used in these reactions, because they are completely soluble in water, and can be used as biological probes in nanomedicine. Vegetable fatty acid-capped ZnO (QD NPs) was fabricated by dissolving at a suitable pH after sol–gel method in the presence of nonionic surfactants as efficient templates with a particular HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) value (9.7 and 8.2). In the present research, we focused on the cellular toxicity of fine zinc oxide QD NPs containing particular blue fluorescence for targeted delivery of MCF7 and HT29 cancer cell lines. The IC50 values were determined as 10.66 and 5.75 µg/ml for MCF7 and HT29, respectively. These findings showed that ZnO QDs have low toxicity in normal cells (MDBK) and can display potential application in cancer chemotherapy in the near future. These properties could result in the generation of a promising candidate in the field of nanobiomedicine. The robust-engineered ZnO QD NPs showed their antibacterial and antifungal activities against Bacillus anthracis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria and also different fungi such as Microsporum gypseum , Microsporum canis , Trichophyton mentagrophytes , Candida albicans , and Candida tropicalis , compared with the standard antibiotic agents like Gentamicin and Clotrimazol.