Graphene and its related nanocomposites have garnered significant interest due to their distinct physiochemical and biological properties. In this study, reduced graphene oxide–silver hybrid nanostructures were synthesized for applications in biomedical nanotechnology, particularly in targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs). A range of analytical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV–visible absorption spectroscopy (UV–VIS), were employed to characterize graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO)–silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and their composite structures. The GO-rGO-AgNPs exhibited potent anticancer properties as evidenced by cell culture assays, spheroid formation assay, and quantitative RT-PCR analysis. Treatment of breast cancer cells (MCF-7) with GO, rGO, and AgNPs significantly reduced cell proliferation and mammosphere formation. Furthermore, these treatments downregulated the expression of marker genes associated with CSCs in MCF-7 cells. Among the tested materials, rGO-AgNP, sodium citrate-mediated GO-AgNP, and rGO-AgNP nanocomposites demonstrated superior inhibitory effects on cell survival compared to GO alone. These findings suggest that these nanocomposites hold promise as effective and non-toxic therapeutic agents for targeting cancer cells and CSCs, thereby offering a novel approach to cancer treatment.

This study demonstrated the effective reduction of graphene oxide (GO) by employing thiourea as a reducing and stabilizing agent. Two fungi (Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus) were used for anti-fungal assay. Cell viability, cell cycle analysis, DNA fragmentation, and cell morphology were assessed to determine the toxicity of thiourea-reduced graphene oxide (T-rGO) on human lung cancer cells. The results revealed that GO and T-rGO were hazardous to cells in a dose-dependent trend. The viability of both A. fumigatus and A. flavus was affected by GO and T-rGO. The reactive oxygen species produced by T-rGO caused the death of A. flavus and A. fumigatus cells. This study highlighted the effectiveness of T-rGO as an antifungal agent. In addition, T-rGO was found to be more harmful to cancer cells than GO. Thus, T-rGO manifested great potential in biological and biomedical applications.

Graphene and its related nanocomposites have garnered significant interest due to their distinct physiochemical and biological properties. In this study, reduced graphene-oxide-silver hybrid nanostructures were synthesized for applications in biomedical nanotechnology, particularly in targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs). A range of analytical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-VIS), were employed to characterize graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and their composite structures. The GO-rGO-AgNPs exhibited potent anticancer properties as evidenced by cell culture assays, spheroid formation assay, and quantitative RT-PCR analysis. Treatment of breast cancer cells (MCF-7) with GO, rGO, and AgNPs significantly reduced cell proliferation and mammosphere formation. Furthermore, these treatments downregulated the expression of marker genes associated with CSCs in MCF-7 cells. Among the tested materials, rGO-AgNP, sodium citrate- mediated GO-AgNP, and rGO-AgNP nanocomposites demonstrated superior inhibitory effects on cell survival compared to GO alone. These findings suggest that these nanocomposites hold promise as effective and non-toxic therapeutic agents for targeting cancer cells and CSCs, thereby offering a novel approach to cancer treatment.