Characteristic of Ag/TiO2–SiO2 bionanocatalysts prepared by sol–gel method as potential antineoplastic compounds

In this study, bionanocatalysts composed of a titanosilicate oxide matrix (TiO2–SiO2) impregnated with different concentrations of silver (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 and 10 wt%) were prepared by the sol–gel method using silver nitrate (AgNO3) as silver (Ag) source. The physicochemical properties were evaluated by scanning and transmission electron microscopies, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectra, and UV–visible spectroscopy. Furthermore, we studied the cytotoxic effect on a cervical uterine cancer cell line as a first approach attending to the potential antineoplastic properties of the Ag/TiO2–SiO2 bionanocatalysts. The bionanocatalysts exhibited no significant differences in morphology or composition independently of the amount of Ag stabilized, with a reduction in particle size proportional to Ag concentration. All samples could achieve cell mortality rates above 91%, obtaining results similar to those of pure AgNO3 (considered as 100% Ag) from the sample loaded with 1% Ag. The results in this study suggest the possibility of using bionanocatalysts to enhance the intrinsic cytotoxic properties of silver such that a minimum concentration is required to achieve desired results.