Synthesis, characterization, anticancer, antibacterial and antifungal activities of nanocomposite based on tertiary metal oxide Fe2O3@CuO@ZnONPs, starch, ethylcellulose and collagen.

This study aimed to synthesize a nanocomposite based on tertiary metal oxide Fe2O3@CuO@ZnONPs, starch, ethylcellulose, and collagen, as well as evaluate its biological activities. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized using physicochemical analysis, which included FTIR, XRD, and DLS. Additionally, topographical analysis using FI-SEM, EDX, mapping, HR-TEM, and SAED affirmed the molecular structure and nanosized of formulated nanocomposites. Moreover, DLS performed a size of free nanocomposite (Bnanocomp) and trimetallic loaded nanocomposite (Lnanocomp) as 158 and 105 nm, respectively. The synthesized loaded nanocomposite with metal oxides (Lnanocomp) was assessed for cytotoxicity on normal and cancerous cell lines. Results revealed that the IC50 of Lnanocomp toward Wi-38 normal cell line was 196.4 μg/mL; this confirms that Lnanocomp is non-toxic and safe in use. Moreover, Lnanocomp displayed anticancer activity against Hep-G2 with IC50 53.7 μg/mL. Furthermore, Lnanocomp displayed potential antibacterial activity toward E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. typhimurium, S. aureus, and B. subtilis with MICs 50, 50, 12.5, 50, and 25 μg/mL, respectively. Also, Lnanocomp exhibited antifungal activity where MIC was 200, 50, and 100 μg/mL toward C. albicans, A. fumigatus, and A. brasilienisis respectively. In conclusion, the prepared Fe2O3@CuO@ZnONPs-based nanocomposite shows promising synergetic antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities with state biocompatibility.