Porous Ag-Cu-CeO2 nanoparticles: Biosynthesis, cephalexin photodegradation, antifungal activity and primary evaluation of in vitro cancer treatment on MDA-MB-231 cells

In the study, silver- and copper-co doped cerium oxide nanoparticles (Ag-Cu-CeO2 NP) were prepared using Ferula assa-foetida L. extract as a biological reducing factor. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) demonstrated a porous surface texture, while powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) introduced crystalline dimensions of 21.89 nm. Supplementary techniques, including energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, Raman, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy validated the successful synthesis of the mentioned nanoparticles. The Ag-Cu-CeO2 NP gained a magnificent degradation rate of 84.92% for cephalexin (CPX) under visible light exposure, following pseudo-first-order kinetics (k = 0.0086 min-1). The synthesized NP exhibited moderate antifungal performance against Aspergillus flavus (MIC: 36.25 mg mL-1) and against Neurospora intermedia (MIC: 72.5 mg mL-1). Moreover, cytotoxicity assessment via MTT assay exhibited dose dependent inhibition of MDA MB 231 breast cancer cells (IC50 = 475.1 μg mL-1), and also significantly lower toxicity on normal MCF 10 A cells. These findings propose that the nanoparticles demonstrate greater cytotoxic effects on cancerous MDA-MB-231 cells compared to normal MCF-10 A cells. However, these results are preliminary and entirely in vitro; further in vivo validation, comprehensive toxicity evaluation, and mechanistic studies are needed before considering therapeutic applications. Overall, the outcomes indicate that green-synthesized Ag-Cu-CeO2 NP describe an effective and promising nanomaterial warranting further study for potential biomedical and environmental applications.