Investigation of the cytoxic effects of nitrogen-doupted graphen on colon cancer cells

Materials designed at nanoscale are the same size as cellular structures. Therefore, nanomaterials are of great importance in the fields of health, medicine and biology, as they offer advantages such as biological compatibility and control. The element carbon is a nonmetal that forms the skeleton of molecules. The purest (pure) allotropes are diamond and graphite. Graphene, the allotrope of carbon, is a biocompatible material with many superior physico-chemical properties that was discovered in 2004. Doping pure graphene with nitrogen improves its conductivity perfectly. The properties of graphene and N-doped graphene largely depend on the synthesis method. Chemotherapy, which is one of the most common treatment methods applied to cancer patients today, while harming cancer cells, unfortunately decreases the quality of life of the person by damaging healthy cells as it is not in a specific targeted therapy dimension. Targeted therapy studies may make it possible to treat the patient without harming healthy cells, unlike chemotherapy. A nanomaterial developed by targeting nano-sized cells and/or biomolecules; It may make it possible to detect cancer at an early stage or to focus specifically on cancer cells in chemotherapy treatments. Thus, it may be possible to treat the patient with chemotherapeutic drugs by targeting the cancerous cell or tissue without damaging the healthy cells. Colon cancer is one of the top three types of cancer causing death worldwide. In this context, determining the cytotoxic effects of biocompatible nitrogen-doped graphene on colon cancer cells; It is very important in terms of developing treatment methods and even designing biosensors that can enable early diagnosis. This research was carried out as a result of the project titled "Production of Graphene-Based Electrocatalysts" with the code FBA-2017-2205 supported by Akdeniz University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit, and the in vitro cytotoxic effects of nitrogen-doped graphene (N-GN) in colon cancer cells (HT- 29) It is the first study in the literature to examine its effects. N-GN did not cause a significant cytotoxic effect in HT-29 cells at all doses of 5, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 mg/mL after 12 and 48 hours of incubation period. However, N-GN caused a significant cytotoxic effect for 150 and 100 mg/mL doses in HT-29 cells at the end of the 24-hour incubation period. Cisplatin used for the control positive group, on the other hand, did not show a significant cytotoxic effect for all doses of 5, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 mg/mL in HT-29 cells during 12-, 24- and 48-hours incubation periods. Cisplatin caused a cytotoxic effect in HUVEC cells at doses of 250, 200, 150, 100, 50 mg/mL at the end of the 12 hour incubation period. Again, cisplatin caused a significant cytotoxic effect for 250, 200, 150, 100, 50, 25 mg/mL doses in HUVEC cells at the end of the 24-hour incubation period. According to the results obtained, cisplatin caused a significant cytotoxic effect for 200, 150, 100, 50, 25 mg/mL doses in HUVEC cells at the end of the 48 hour incubation period. The IC50 (93.4 mg/ml) dose of N-GN, determined as a result of the findings, caused a significant increase in the amount of caspase-3 enzyme as a result of the 24-hour incubation period. N-GN at IC50 dose left to 24 hours incubation caused a significant change in the amount of DNA fragmentation in HT-29 cells. Cisplatin, on the other hand, did not cause a significant change in the amount of DNA fragmentation in HT-29 cells. KEYWORDS: Nitrogen Doped Graphene, Colon Cancer, Nanoscience, Nanomaterial, Cytotoxicity