Das, Debashree, Bhattacharya, Sampurna, Basu, Shalmali, Das, Saptydeep, Das, Ujjal, Morgan, David J.  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6571-5731 and Sen, Kamalika
2026.
Theranostics of folic acid conjugated cu on Te nanocomposite: Fluorescence sensing, imaging and selective cytotoxicity towards HeLa cells.
Inorganica Chimica Acta
594
, 123076.
10.1016/j.ica.2026.123076
|
Preview |
PDF
- Accepted Post-Print Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (2MB) | Preview |
Abstract
A novel folic acid-conjugated composite nanoparticle containing Cu on TeO2 (FA-NC) was developed via a green synthetic route for targeted cancer theranostics. The nanocomposite exhibited strong fluorescence, enabling sensitive detection of folate receptor-positive HeLa cells with a detection limit of 1.82 × 103 cells/mL. XPS analyses confirmed the transformation of Cu2+ to Cu0, and successful surface modification with folic acid was confirmed using Raman spectroscopy. The nanocomposite demonstrated selective imaging of HeLa cells over HaCaT cells, confirming receptor-specific targeting. Furthermore, FA-NC exhibited antiproliferative activity towards HeLa cells with an IC50 of 15 μg/mL. A moderate DNA binding affinity (Kd = 69.2 μM) suggested groove-binding interaction. These results highlight FA-NC as a cost-effective, biocompatible, and dual-functional nanomaterial for simultaneous imaging and therapy of folate receptor-positive cancer cells.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Chemistry |
| Additional Information: | RRS policy applied |
| Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
| ISSN: | 0020-1693 |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 23 January 2026 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 9 January 2026 |
| Last Modified: | 26 Jan 2026 11:30 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183987 |
Actions (repository staff only)
 |
Edit Item |
Dimensions
Dimensions