Performance study of porous CeO2 and Zn-Cd@CeO2 nanostructures in improving of breast cancer treatment and photodegradation of antibiotics

Cerium oxide (CeO 2 ) owes unique attribute that make it a hopeful candidate for various fields, including medical and environmental applications, including cancer treatment and the degradation of pharmaceutical effluents. Herein, CeO 2 and zinc/cadmium dual-doped CeO 2 (ZC-CeO 2 ) nanostructures were prepared via a green approach using Alhagi maurorum extract. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) detected that prepared nanostructures showed a porous morphology. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis presented the crystallite sizes of CeO 2 and ZC-CeO 2 nanostructures to be approximately 19 nm and 10 nm, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) supported that the ZC-CeO 2 nanostructures were spherical, with diameters in the range of 10–15 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, UV–vis, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy further confirmed that successful formation and compositional integrity of the nanostructures. The photocatalytic performance of prepared nanostructures was conducted for the degradation of cephalexin (CPX) and amoxicillin (AMX), as laboratory models of pharmaceutical pollutants, at pH 7.0 under visible light irradiation. The ZC-CeO 2 nanostructures exhibited a significant higher degradation rate for both CPX and AMX within 180 min compared to CeO 2 . Kinetic analysis confirmed that the photodegradation of both antibiotics followed a pseudo-first-order model. The cytotoxicity of nanostructures was survey using an MTT assay to determine their inhibitory effects on human breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) and normal breast (MCF-10 A) cell lines. Findings indicated that ZC-CeO 2 exerted concentration-dependent cytotoxicity specifically against MDA-MB-231 cell line. Consequently, both CeO 2 and ZC-CeO 2 nanostructures confirmed that significant cytotoxicity toward MDA-MB-231 cancer cells compared to normal MCF-10 A cells. Overall, these outcomes confirm that green-synthesized ZC-CeO 2 nanostructures are highly effective nanomaterials with significant potential for dual environmental and biomedical activities.