Green hydrothermal synthesis of nickel and zinc-doped nickel ferrite nanoparticles using Dalbergiella welwitschii extracts and their biological studies

Convectional drugs have failed to tackle the increasing public health challenge of Cancer and diabetes. Phytochemical conjugated nanoparticles are providing safer therapeutic alternatives to address this global challenge. Nanoparticles of nickel, iron and zinc are especially useful because of their magnetic properties, abilities to prevent the onset or slow the progression of these diseases. Nanoparticles of Ni/Fe and Ni/Fe/Zn were synthesized by hydrothermal reaction of <i>Dalbergiella welwitschii</i> extract with the respective metal chlorides, and were characterized using XRD, SEM, DLS, IR and UV- spectroscopy. The drug encapsulation and release profile of the ferrites was studied using curcumin as a test drug. the Anticancer and antidiabetic activities of the nanoparticles were investigated against MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines using the MTT assay and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitory assay, respectively. The nanoparticles had high drug loading capacity (<10 %), promising cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities ranging between 5.6 and 13.4 μM comparable to standard drug acarbose (9.8 μM), respectively. <i>Dalbergiella welwitschii</i> mediated nanoparticles of Ni/Fe and Ni/Fe/Zn could be further explored as alternative therapeutic agents for cancer and diabetes.