Multifunctional Ag/CuO nanocomposites: synthesis, antimycobacterial efficacy, and cytotoxicity against colon cancer cells

Nanotechnology plays a crucial role in advancing medical research, particularly in developing effective therapeutic agents. However, challenges such as nanoparticle agglomeration and limited functionalization persist in optimizing their biological applications. This study addresses these issues by synthesizing copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) using a combustion method with aqueous Acacia nilotica gum as biofuel, and creating silver-doped CuO nanocomposites (Ag/CuO NCs) with varying silver compositions. Notably, silver doping significantly enhanced crystallinity and reduced agglomeration, resulting in average crystallite sizes ranging from 10 to 25 nm. Characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. Both CuO and Ag/CuO NCs exhibited strong antimycobacterial properties. Antioxidant activity was assessed through DPPH testing, demonstrating improved IC50 values as silver concentration increased (e.g., 2.40 mg/mL for Ag/CuO with 9 mol %Ag). Further, cytotoxicity tests using the HT-29 human colon cancer cell line revealed an IC50 of 4.932 µg/mL for Ag/CuO (9 mol %Ag), with anticancer activity evaluated across concentrations of 0.75–40 µg/mL. Importantly, toxicological evaluations indicated compatibility of both CuO NPs and Ag/CuO NCs with human red blood cells, underscoring their potential for biomedical applications. This work presents a novel approach to enhancing the functionalization of metal oxide nanoparticles, paving the way for future therapeutic advancements.