Anticancer potential of Cu 4 O 3 NPs against human ovarian teratocarcinoma: an in-vitro validation

The green approach of synthesizing nanoparticles is an efficient, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and rapid technique in which plant sources act as capping/stabilizing and reducing agents. The current study aimed to investigate the anticancer potential of biosynthesized Cu 4 O 3 NPs against the human ovarian teratocarcinoma cell line (PA-1). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) were used to predict the size and morphology of the biosynthesized nanoparticles. The SEM image revealed a 200 nm size of Cu 4 O 3 NPs; however, TEM data showed the spherical shape of the Cu 4 O 3 NPs in the range of ≤ 100 nm. A range of biological evaluations, such as cytotoxicity assay, morphological alteration, induction of apoptosis by three different staining techniques (AO/EB dual staining, DAPI, and PI staining), ROS production, and alteration in mitochondrial membrane potential were performed. We observed a dose-dependent cytotoxicity of Cu 4 O 3 NPs in the PA-1 cell line with an IC 50 dose of 9.5 µg/ml. Furthermore, Cu 4 O 3 NP treatment induced apoptosis, which was confirmed by all three adopted staining techniques while inducing ROS production and modulating mitochondrial membrane potential. Our findings highlight the anticancer potential of Cu 4 O 3 NPs against the studied cell line, which needs to be further explored because of its cost-effectiveness and eco-friendly nature.