Magnetic field-regulated biosynthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles from Alborzia kermanshahica: in vitro assessment for hyperthermia and gastric cancer therapy

Gastric cancer is difficult to treat, and iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles biosynthesized via Alborzia kermanshahica offer promising antimicrobial, anticancer, and magnetic hyperthermia potential due to their unique physicochemical properties and controllability. Fe3O4 nanoparticles were biosynthesized from A. kermanshahica cultured under a static magnetic field, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-functionalized, characterized for physicochemical properties, and evaluated in vitro for antibacterial, anticancer, oxidative stress, cytokine modulation, and magnetic hyperthermia effects. Exposure to the static magnetic field significantly enhanced phycocyanin production, with the 6-h treatment yielding the highest absorbance (0.749 at 620 nm), concentration (0.0968 mg/mL), and purity (0.274). Biosynthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles showed a characteristic UV-Vis peak at 430 nm, with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) confirming Fe–O bond formation and successful PEG functionalization. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses indicated particle sizes of 12.86 nm (hydrodynamic diameter) and 14–40 nm (spherical morphology), with zeta potentials of -17.7 mV (uncoated) and 32.4 mV (PEG-coated). PEG-coated nanoparticles exhibited superior antibacterial activity (minimum inhibitory concentration/minimum bactericidal concentration MIC/MBC: 1.5625 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus; 3.125 mg/mL against Escherichia coli), with TEM confirming bacterial cell wall disruption. In human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cells, PEG-coated nanoparticles caused a concentration-dependent reduction in viability (66.07% at 1000 µg/mL), accompanied by increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and decreased tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) (to 43.63% and 51.52%, respectively). Under an alternating magnetic field, PEG-coated nanoparticles reached ~ 42 °C, and hyperthermia treatment reduced cell viability to 44.3%, corroborated by morphological changes observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). PEG-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles biosynthesized via A. kermanshahica demonstrated potent antibacterial and anticancer effects through oxidative stress induction, highlighting their potential as a multifunctional platform for magnetic hyperthermia and minimally invasive cancer therapy.