Bi-Functional Ag2O/CuO Composite Catalyst for Anticancer Activity and Glucose Sensing

Abstract

Cancer remains a complex disease to treat because of four important genetic changes that result in different phenotypes, necessitating different treatment modalities and usually ending in suboptimal results. Metallic silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) composites have been reported as anticancer agents for breast and other cancers. In this work, Ag₂O/CuO composites were studied as functional biocatalysts for glucose sensing and anticancer activity. The composites were prepared using a microwave hydrothermal route, and cytotoxicity was tested using the MTT assay against breast (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468), pancreatic (MiaPaCa-2), and colon (HCT-116) cancer cell lines. Intracellular ROS production and glucose sensing properties were also determined. These findings showed that the composite treatment strongly inhibited cell growth, with ROS-induced apoptosis being the main cause of cell death. Furthermore, the Ag₂O/CuO composite materials showed superior glucose-sensing ability, indicating the possibility of noninvasive and sensitive glucose detection. This work highlights the multifunctional feasibility of Ag₂O/CuO composites in biomedical technology, especially in cancer therapy and glucose sensing, which opens up the possibility of creating next-generation biocatalysts.