Document Type : Full research article
Author
Department of Chemistry, Payame Noor University, P.O. Box 19395-4697, Tehran, Iran
10.30473/ijac.2026.78642.1351
Abstract
Copper oxide nanoparticles were prepared by a green sol-gel method employing aqueous Cressa cretica leaf extract and copper(II) nitrate trihydrate as the copper precursor. The resulting nanoparticles were subsequently used as carriers for the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Physicochemical characterization was performed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FESEM/EDX), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential measurements, and thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA). Drug-loading efficiency was quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the influence of reaction medium pH, contact time, and nanoparticle concentration on loading performance was systematically investigated to identify optimal conditions. The synthesized CuO nanoparticles were spherical, highly pure, and possessed a cubic crystalline structure, with a mean particle size of approximately 39 nm and a zeta potential of -15.6 mV. Under optimal loading conditions (pH 5.50, 5 h contact time, 0.015 g of CuO nanoparticles), approximately 40% of 5-FU was adsorbed onto the nanoparticle surface. MTT cytotoxicity assay demonstrated concentration-dependent cell death in Huh-7 hepatocellular carcinoma cells, with an IC50 of approximately 250 mg/L, a result consistent with an acceptable biocompatibility profile.
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