Antifungal and antiovarian cancer properties of α Fe2 O3 and α Fe2 O3 /ZnO nanostructures synthesised by Spirulina platensis

• Published in: IET nanobiotechnology 2020-12, Vol.14 (9), p.774-784
• Main Authors: Abbas, Heba Salah, Krishnan, Akilandeswari, Kotakonda, Muddukrishnaiah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 2′, 7′‐dichlorofluorescein diacetate staining; antibacterial activity; antifungal activity; antiovarian cancer properties; biochemistry; biomedical materials; biosynthesised nanostructures; broth dilution method; cancer; Candida albicans infection; carbohydrate; cell death; cellular biophysics; coated α‐Fe2 O3 nanostructures; comet assays; cytotoxic effect; DNA; DNA fragmentation; Fe2 O3; Fe2 O3 ‐ZnO; Fourier transform infrared spectra; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; green nanotechnology; high resolution transmission electron microscopy; human ovarian tetracarcinoma cell PA1; II‐VI semiconductors; iron compounds; microorganisms; molecular biophysics; MTT assays; nanocomposites; nanofabrication; nanomedicine; nanoparticles; PA1 cell lines; PA1 cell proliferation; physicochemical features; rod‐shaped nanostructures; Spirulina platensis; surface coating; toxicology; transmission electron microscopy; ultraviolet spectra; uncoated α‐Fe2 O3; UV‐visible spectroscopy; visible spectra; wide band gap semiconductors; X‐ray diffraction; zinc compounds; α‐Fe2 O3 nanoparticles; α‐Fe2 O3 ‐ZnO nanocomposite
• ISSN: 1751-875X; 1751-8741; 1751-875X
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-nbt.2020.0055

Candida albicans (C. albicans) infection shows a growing burden on human health, and it has become challenging to search for treatment. Therefore, this work focused on the antifungal activity, and cytotoxic effect of biosynthesised nanostructures on human ovarian tetracarcinoma cells PA1 and their corresponding mechanism of cell death. Herein, the authors fabricated advanced biosynthesis of uncoated α‐Fe2 O3 and coated α‐Fe2 O3 nanostructures by using the carbohydrate of Spirulina platensis. The physicochemical features of nanostructures were characterised by UV–visible, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. The antifungal activity of these nanostructures against C. albicans was studied by the broth dilution method, and examined by 2′, 7′‐dichlorofluorescein diacetate staining. However, their cytotoxic effects against PA1 cell lines were evaluated by MTT and comet assays. Results indicated characteristic rod‐shaped nanostructures, and increasing the average size of α‐Fe2 O3 @ZnO nanocomposite (105.2 nm × 29.1 nm) to five times as compared to α‐Fe2 O3 nanoparticles (20.73nm × 5.25 nm). The surface coating of α‐Fe2 O3 by ZnO has increased its antifungal efficiency against C. albicans. Moreover, the MTT results revealed that α‐Fe2 O3 @ZnO nanocomposite reduces PA1 cell proliferation due to DNA fragmentation (IC50 18.5 μg/ml). Continual advances of green nanotechnology and promising findings of this study are in favour of using the construction of rod‐shaped nanostructures for therapeutic applications.