CuO Nanoparticles Prepared by Pulsed Laser Ablation: Evaluation of Their Anti-proliferative Activity Against Colon Cancer Cells

This study presents the production of stable and cost-effective CuO NPs nanoparticles using a direct physical method known as pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL). The nanoparticles were synthesized using copper metal of high purity. The optical energy gap was determined through photoluminescence (PL) examination. It was observed that (CuO) has a power gap ranging from (2.87–2.89) eV. The X-ray diffraction patterns for CuO NPs generated with a maximum of two peaks, comparable to 35.63°, 38.9° and 53.6°, corresponding to the (002), (111) and (020) peaks, respectively using X-ray diffraction meter (XRD). Scanning FE-SEM electron microscopy was used for further examination. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles was tested on both a normal cell line (HdFn) and a cancer cell line (human Colon Caco-2). The cytotoxicity % was determined following a 24-h period of exposure. The Caco-2 line exhibited a maximum toxicity of 97.85 at a concentration of 500 after 24 h of exposure. This chemical was tested on the Caco-2 line after being prepared in the laboratory for 14 days. Regarding the control group, the highest level of toxicity observed was 23.26% at a concentration of 500 following a 24-h period of exposure. Consequently, the CuO nanomaterial exhibits a discerning impact on the cells. The Caco-2 malignant line had the highest level of toxicity, while the normal HdFn line showed the lowest level. Based on this evidence, we infer that the chemical exhibits promise as an effective anti-cancer medication due to its non-toxicity towards healthy cells.