In vitro cytotoxicity of in-situ synthesized zinc oxide anchored graphitic carbon nanofiber on HeLa cells

Abstract A simple co-precipitation method was developed to synthesize the zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) anchored graphitic carbon nanofiber (GCN) hybrid. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the good crystalline nature of hybrids. The attached ZnO NPs to the GCN was identified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The purity of the GCN and GCNZnO hybrids were examined by micro Raman studies. In vitro cytotoxicity of the hybrid was carried out using HeLa cell culture system with different dosages. The enhanced growth inhibition and cell death was observed as a function of concentration of hybrid. Evidently, the hybrid has shown potent cytotoxicity against HeLa cells than that of the pristine ZnO and functionalized GCN. This is manifested because of the higher reactive surface area and synergistic effect of the hybrid, which leads to greater interactions with the cells.