Fabrication, Characterization, Anticancer and Antibacterial Activities of ZnO Nanoparticles Doped with Y and Ce Elements

This work aims to explore the structure, microstructure, anticancer, and antibacterial activities of ZnO NPs co-doped with Y and Ce elements for their strong biocompatibility, economic, and less toxic effect as a GRAS material. XRD analysis showed the hexagonal wurtzite structure of the fabricated samples. The observations via TEM technique showed the irregular distribution of particles with a size of 30-50 nm. The samples were examined for their anticancer activity by DAPI staining and MTT assays. The cell viability assessment approved a substantial diminution in the HCT-116 cell viability after the co-doping. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of Y-Ce co-doped ZnO NPs were 5.0 mu g/ml to 25 mu g/ml for HCT-116 cells. The influence of dopants on HEK-293 (non-cancerous cells) is also studied. A diminution in the cell viability was found, but the cell viability percentage was higher than HCT-116 cells. When cancer cells treated with Y-Ce co-doped ZnO showed apoptosis or programmed cell death as the nuclei of the cells showed chromatin condensation and fragmentations. The treatment of Y-Ce co-doped ZnO NPs on Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli revealed inhibitory action on the bacterial population as revealed by Minimal Bactericidal Concentration and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and assays.