Anti-DNA virus agent cidofovir - loaded green synthesized cerium oxide nanoparticles (Nanoceria): Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) binding affinity and cytotoxicity effects
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: // Nahid Shahabadi 1 , Saba Zendehcheshm 1 , Fatemeh Khademi 2 and Mohammad Mahdavi 1 1 Inorganic Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran 2 Medical Biology Research Center, Health Technology Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran Correspondence to: Nahid Shahabadi, email: [email protected] , ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0006-2687-3231 Keywords: CeO 2 NPs; green synthesis; DNA interaction; RNA interaction; cytotoxicity Received: March 09, 2025 Accepted: September 30, 2025 Published: November 06, 2025 Copyright: © 2025 Shahabadi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. ABSTRACT In this study, cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO 2 NPs) were synthesized using a green chemistry approach, utilizing quince fruit (Cydonia oblonga) peel extract as a non-toxic reducing and stabilizing agent. This environmentally friendly technique represents a novel approach to nanoparticle fabrication, emphasizing sustainability in nanotechnology. The surface of the green-synthesized CeO 2 NPs was further functionalized with cidofovir (CDV), an anti-DNA virus agent, to develop a dual-functional therapeutic platform with potential anticancer and antiviral applications. The successful synthesis and modification of CDV-loaded CeO 2 NPs (CDV- CeO 2 NPs) were confirmed through a series of characterizations, including FT-IR, zeta potential, TEM, SEM-EDX, DLS, and UV-Vis analyses. The cytotoxic effects of CDV, CeO 2 NPs, and CDV- CeO 2 NPs were evaluated against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line using the MTT assay, revealing that the loading of CDV onto CeO 2 NPs significantly enhanced its anticancer efficacy. Furthermore, the interaction of CDV-CeO 2 NPs with nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) was investigated through absorption and fluorescence studies, demonstrating a strong binding affinity and suggesting the potential of these nanoparticles as highly specific chemotherapeutic agents. The novelty of this work lies in the innovative green synthesis method, the dual-functional therapeutic application, and the enhanced biological activity of the CDV-CeO 2 NPs, which collectively position these nanoparticles as promising candidates for future cancer and antiviral therapies.
Source: Oncotarget
Institutions: Razi University, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: Razi University
OpenAlex ID: W4415994124