Óxido de grafeno funcionalizado con nitrato de plata derivado de cáscara de arroz como nanotransportador para la...

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) derived from rice husk was functionalized with silver nitrate (AgNO₃) through a chemical co-precipitation method, and its biomedical applications were systematically investigated. Drug release experiments revealed a pH-responsive profile, where at pH 4.0 the cumulative release reached 32.6 ± 1.6% after 24 h, compared to 12.4 ± 1.8% at pH 7.4, highlighting its potential for targeted delivery to cancer cells. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) analysis and flow cytometry demonstrated that RH-GO/AgNO₃ treatment elevated oxidative stress and triggered apoptosis in HeLa cells. Furthermore, 5-fluorouracil (FU) was successfully loaded onto the nanocomposite surface via non-covalent interactions. Cytotoxicity assessment by MTT assay showed that FU-loaded RH-GO/AgNO₃ had the strongest anticancer activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 256.3 µg/mL. ROS levels in treated HeLacells increased significantly (40.17%) compared to the control group (19.45%), and flow cytometry confirmed a reduction in cell viability (69.5%) accompanied by enhanced apoptosis (early: 8.3%, late: 4.0%) and necrosis (18.2%). Collectively, these findings indicate that RH-GO/AgNO₃-FU induces cancer cell death predominantly via apoptosis. Overall, this work demonstrates that agricultural waste-derived nanomaterials can serve as cost-effective and sustainable platforms for advanced drug delivery in cancer therapeutics.