Evaluation of antibacterial and cytotoxic properties of green synthesized CuO/Graphene nanosheets.

Graphene nanocomposites have received attention for the therapy and detection of diseases. In this study, we developed a simple and green chemistry approach for synthesizing CuO/graphene nanocomposites (CuO/G) using date palm fruit syrup as a reducing agent. The graphene oxide surface anchored with Cu(OH) and reduced it to fabricate CuO-anchored graphene nanosheets using date palm fruit syrup. Physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized nanocomposites were analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed 50-70 nm CuO nanostructures anchored on the surface of crumpled graphene sheets. The CuO/G nanocomposites inhibited the gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial growth at 300 μg. When compared with CuO nanoparticles and graphene oxide nanosheets (GO), Cu2O/G nanocomposite exhibited outstanding bactericidal activity. The cytotoxic properties of the prepared nanocomposites were studied in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The CuO/G nanocomposites did not reduced cell viability by up to 200 μg/mL and slightly induced cell death at high concentrations. However, CuO nanoparticles and GO have significantly reduced the cell viability in hMSCs. The microscopic images of cellular and nuclear morphology suggested that the CuO/G composites did not cause major changes to hMSCs. The CuO nanoparticles and GO remarkably triggers the cellular damages, nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation in hMSCs. Our study results revealed that CuO/G has excellent antibacterial activity with good biocompatibility. Thus, CuO/G could be used as a promising antibacterial agent in various purposes.