Cytotoxicity effect of graphene quantum dots-metal nanocomposite on human A549 and MCF-7 cells

B. Boyacioglu1, B. Şenel2, G. Büyükköroğlu2, H. Ünver3, M. Yıldız4, Neslihan Demir5, Nuray Yıldırım6, Ayhan Elmalı7
1Vocational School of Health Services, Ankara University, TR-06290 Kecioren-Ankara, Turkey
E-mail: email.of. corresponding_bboyacioglu@ankara.edu.tr
2Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Anadolu, TR-26470 Tepebaşı-Eskişehir, Turkey
3Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Ankara, TR-06100 Besevler-Ankara, Turkey
4Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, TR-17100 Çanakkale, Turkey
5Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, 17100 Çanakkale, Turkey
6Vocational School of Health Services, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, 17100 Çanakkale, Turkey
7Department of Physics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ankara University, TR-06100, Beşevler , Turkey

GQDs are potential candidates for biomedical applications such as sensors, cell labeling, bacterial inhibition, drug delivery and Cellular distribution and cytotoxicity [1-2]. Herein, the graphene quantum dots-metal nanocomposite (GQDs/M-NPs ; M: Pd, Ag) were synthesized using GQDs as reducing reagent and stabilizer [3]. The cytotoxicity of four kinds of GQDs/M-NPs in human A549 lung carcinoma cells and human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells was investigated using thiazolyl blue colorimetric (MTT) assay and trypan blue assay. 
According to MTT results, GQDs/AgNPs showed higher cytotoxicity in both cells compared to other nanocomposites. Cell viability was 6.99 % and 5.48% for A549 and 22.52% and 5.12 % for MCF-7 at the 10 µg/mL working concentration for 24 and 48 h incubation time, respectively. When all the nanocomposites are evaluated within themselves in terms of cytotoxicity values, they were found as cytotoxic depending on dose and time on cells at working intervals. 

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