Efficacy of urolithin B-Loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles modified with graphene quantum Dots against MCF-7 breast Cancer cells

This study investigated the anti-cancer effects of GQD@MSN-Uro-B nanoparticles (NPs) on the MCF7 cancer cell line, focusing on their antioxidant properties. GQD@MSN-Uro-B was synthesized by first preparing graphene quantum dots (GQDs) from graphene oxide (GO) through a hydrothermal method, followed by the sol-gel synthesis of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). The GQDs were then covalently bonded to the MSNs, and Uro-B was loaded onto the resulting nanocarriers. Characterization using DLS revealed that GQD@MSN-Uro-B exhibited a Z-average particle size of 223.75 nm and a zeta potential of − 22.59 mV, indicating good stability compared to MSN-Uro-B@GQD, which had a larger Z-average size of 241.02 nm and a zeta potential of − 14.99 mV. The NPs demonstrated significant cytotoxicity with an IC50 of 10 µg/mL against MCF7 cells. At the same time, MSN-Uro-B@GQD had an IC50 of 83.19 µg/mL, effectively inducing apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, with early apoptosis rates increasing from 8.33% in untreated cells to 37.4% at 12 µg/mL. Gene expression analysis revealed significant increases in TNF (from 0.92 ± 0.008 to 1.14 ± 0.012), caspase-9 (from 0.85 ± 0.008 to 3.3 ± 0.012), and p21 (from 0.87 ± 0.008 to 1.32 ± 0.012), indicating enhanced apoptotic activity. Additionally, the antioxidant capacity was validated by significant free radical scavenging, with 76% inhibition in the ABTS assay and 33.93% in the DPPH assay at 2000 µg/mL. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of GQD@MSN-Uro-B nanoparticles as a promising candidate for targeted cancer therapy, combining effective cytotoxicity and antioxidant properties, warranting further investigation in clinical settings.