Development of pluronic F127 and folic acid coated TiO₂ nanoparticles for antimicrobial and anticancer applications

Functionalizing metal oxide nanoparticles with polymers and folic acid enhances eco-friendly synthesis, therapeutic efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. This study reports the green synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and folic acid-Pluronic F127-modified TiO₂ (TiPFFA) nanoparticles using Psidium guajava leaf extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that both nanoparticles crystallized in the rutile phase. Morphological characterization by FESEM and TEM showed that the nanoparticles were spherical with uniform size distribution. FTIR spectroscopy showed Ti-O-Ti (789 cm⁻¹) and Ti-O (666 cm⁻¹) for TiO₂; TiPFFA had extra peaks at 951 and 640 cm⁻¹, confirming the lattice. PL spectra exhibited emission peaks at 518 nm (TiO₂) and 520 nm (TiPFFA), indicating oxygen vacancies linked to reactive oxygen species generation. Antimicrobial tests against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans showed superior activity of TiPFFA nanoparticles compared to TiO₂. Cytotoxicity assays on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and L929 fibroblast cells demonstrated enhanced anticancer activity and better biocompatibility for TiPFFA. These findings highlight TiPFFA nanoparticles as promising candidates for targeted cancer therapy and as antimicrobial agents.