Cytotoxic evaluation of Dovyalis Caffra leaf extract-mediated hematite-(Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles for biological applications

Abstract

Abstract Although hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles are gaining attention for biomedical purposes due to their unique properties, eco-friendly synthesis using plant extracts is being explored due to toxicity concerns of the resulting material. This study explores the use of plant extracts ( Dovyalis caffra leaf extracts) for the synthesis of Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles alongside their cytotoxicity profile using human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) and human cervical cancer cells (HeLa). The physicochemical properties of the prepared nanoparticles were established using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and microscopy techniques, confirming their crystalline nature and spherical morphology with minimal agglomeration. Using the MTT assay approach, the cytotoxicity profile of the nanoparticles revealed dose-dependent cytotoxic effects, with higher specificity towards cancer cells and very low toxicity towards the human cell line, suggesting safe usage as biomedical agents. While the standard drug 5-Fluorouracil possessed significantly higher cytotoxicity, its unwanted high toxicity towards normal human cells makes the Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles a better choice. These findings suggest the potential of Dovyalis caffra leaf extract-mediated Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles for biomedical applications, emphasizing their low toxicity towards normal human cells and specificity towards cancer cells.