In vitro antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory effects of Fe-doped CuO-rice husk silica (Fe-CuO-SiO2) nanocomposites and their enhanced innate immunity in zebrafish

Recent studies are now focussing on synthesis of metal oxide based nanocomposites because of their exceptional physicochemical characteristics. In this study, CuO-SiO2 nanocomposite (CuONC) and Fe doped CuO-SiO2 nanocomposite (FeCuONC) were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, UV-vis, PSA, and TGA were utilized to confirm the synthesis of CuONC and FeCuONC. The in vitro biological activities and in vivo toxicity (zebrafish) of CuONC and FeCuONC were explored. The a-amylase assay showed that both CuONC, and FeCuONC exhibit dose-dependent antidiabetic activity. Interestingly, antidiabetic activity of FeCuONC was higher as compared to CuONC. Furthermore, FeCuONC showed higher anti-inflammatory effects (inhibition of denaturation of egg albumin) than those of CuONC. In vivo toxicity study in zebrafish embryos and larvae suggested that FeCuONC induce higher innate immunity response as compared to CuONC. Altogether, we observed that Fe-doped CuOSiO2 nanocomposites exhibited advance anti-inflammatory effect, sophisticated antidiabetic activity and enhanced innate immunity as compared to CuO-SiO2 nanocomposite. This study warrants further research on therapeutic application of Fe-CuO-SiO2 nanocomposites in suitable mammalian models. (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

In this study, CuO-SiO2 nanocomposite (CuONC) and Fe doped CuO-SiO2 nanocomposite (FeCuONC) were synthesized and their biological activities and toxicity were investigated. FeCuONC showed higher anti-inflammatory effects and antidiabetic activity compared to CuONC. In addition, FeCuONC induced a higher innate immunity response in zebrafish. This study highlights the potential therapeutic applications of Fe-CuO-SiO2 nanocomposites.