Assessment of Antioxidant Activity and Biocompatibility of the Graphene Oxide-Based Nanocomposite Material for Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

This research study aims to synthesize graphene oxide (GO)-based nanocomposite material and analyze the material properties, radical scavenging activity, biocompatibility, and toxicity level detection for biomedical applications. The sol-gel method was utilized to synthesize titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles; GO was prepared by the improved hummer’s method and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by the thermal reduction process. TiO2 and GO (GO@TiO2) and TiO2 and rGO (rGO@TiO2) nanocomposites were synthesized by a single-step hydrothermal method. The physicochemical properties of synthesized nanocomposites were characterized. The X-ray diffraction graph confirmed the hexagonal structure for GO and rGO. Also, the nanocrystalline anatase form of TiO2 nanoparticles is obtained. The Fourier transforms infrared spectrum shows the characteristics peak of Ti-O-Ti bonds between 500 to 850 cm-1. The Raman spectrum peak of GO was obtained at 1349 cm-1 for bands D and 1594 cm-1 for the G band, respectively. The antimicrobial properties of GO@TiO2 and rGO@TiO2 nanocomposites were examined against two positive and negative bacteria by agar well diffusion technique, and free radical scavenging assays were studied to determine the antioxidant properties of the GO@TiO2 and rGO@TiO2 nanocomposites. Both the nanocomposite showed doses dependent cytotoxicity. The results show that the nanocomposites had remarkable cytotoxic properties and significantly improved antibacterial efficiency. The antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the nanocomposite were improved by the synergistic interactions between rGO and TiO2 nanoparticles.