Synthesis of Graphene Oxide/Iron Oxide/Au Nanocomposite for Quercetin Delivery

This study focused on developing a superparamagnetic graphene oxide-based nanocomposite consisting of iron oxide (IO) and gold nanoparticles for quercetin delivery. For this purpose, the structure and morphology of the designed nanocomposite (GO/IO/Au) were investigated by several characterization methods such as fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Then, the biocompatibility of the synthesized nanocomposite was studied by Brine shrimp Artemia lethality assay, red blood cell hemolysis assay, and MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. Moreover, the GO/IO/Au nanocomposite efficiency as an anticancer drug delivery system was evaluated in vitro conditions. The results showed that the designed nanocomposite is highly biocompatible and possesses a favorable magnetization (Ms = 29.2 emu.g−1) making it a good candidate for biomedical applications. Also, it was confirmed that GO/IO/Au nanocomposite is a potent drug carrier that can effectively deliver quercetin to cancer cells.