A convergent fabrication of 1-aminopyridine-capped gold nanomaterials and reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for ovarian cancer cells

Since their discovery, graphene nanocomposites have attracted much attention for their potential use in many biological applications. Herein, we examined the highly reduced graphene oxide (HRGO) and gold nanomaterial (AuNM)-based (HRGO/Au@AP) nanocomposite for ovarian cancer and apoptosis-inducing abilities, the nanomaterials’ anticancer activities against human ovarian cancer cell lines (SKOV3 and A2780). HRGO was functionalized with the 1-aminopyridine (AP) as a potential stabilizing agent to improve the sample’s solubility and bioavailability. The surface morphology and structure of the nanocomposites were examined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The results of an anticancer study comparing HRGO, HRGO/Au, and HRGO/Au@AP nanocomposites showed a greater capacity to induce apoptosis, the apoptosis assays (AO-EB, DAPI, and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) measurements on SKOV3 and A2780 cells. This data suggests that HRGO/Au@AP promotes potent apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cells.