Influence of the Ag1+ and Co2+ doping on structural, optical and anti-cancer properties of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles synthesized by co-precipitation method

AgxZn1-xFe2O4 (x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.07) and CoxZn1-xFe2O4 (x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07) nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method. The structural, morphological, compositional and optical properties of the synthesized samples were estimated by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and UV-Visible Spectroscopy. The anti-cancer properties were analysed at the in vitro level by MTT (3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay against Lung cancer cell line A549 (Human Lung Carcinoma). Flow cytometry analysis confirmed the anti-proliferation potential of Co and Ag doped zinc ferrite NPs against A549 cell lines. In addition, MTT assay was performed to evaluate cytotoxicity of the synthesized Ag and Co doped ZnFe2O4 NPs (6.25-100 mu g/mL). Among the synthesized AgxZn1-xFe2O4 (x = 0.0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.07) and CoxZn1-xFe2O4 (x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07) NPs, Ag0.05Zn0.95Fe2O4 and Co0.03Zn0.97Fe2O4 samples show less viability in human lung carcinoma. The results have shown that the Ag and Co doped ZnFe2O4 NPs exhibit significant activity on A549 cells, and these are dose dependent, and it can be considered for targeted drug delivery application.

Automated summary

The synthesized Ag and Co doped zinc ferrite nanoparticles exhibit significant anti-proliferation activity against human lung carcinoma cells, showing potential for targeted drug delivery applications.