Acorus calamus-mediated CuFe₂O₄/reduced graphene oxide (AcL-CF-G) nanocomposite and its versatile biomedical and environmental remediation applications

Copper ferrite nanoparticles (CuFe₂O₄, CF) supported by reduced graphene oxide (rGO, G) as a nanocomposite was prepared successfully using extract of the Acorus calamus leaves (AcL). A green synthesized nanocomposite (AcL-CF-G) was characterized and evaluated for their antibacterial, anticancer and photocatalytic performances. The CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles exhibited the spinel crystalline structure with the sphere-shaped morphology. The antibacterial activity of the AcL-CF-G nanocomposite was assessed against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) bacteria strains using the agar well diffusion method. The results displayed the distinct zones of inhibition (ZOI) at 40 μL for each strain of bacteria: E. coli (13 mm), P. aeruginosa (12 mm), B. subtilis (10 mm) and S. aureus (12 mm). The E. coli pathogen exhibited the antibacterial activity with highest ZOI, whereas B. subtilis showed the lowest ZOI. Further, the cytotoxicity investigation was carried out using the Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7 breast cancer) cells utilizing the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. An inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 360 μg/mL was demonstrated against the cytotoxic reaction of MCF-7 cells for the fabricated AcL-CF-G nanocomposite. Apart from the cytotoxicity study, the photocatalytic activity of the AcL-CF-G was investigated using methylene blue (MB) dye over 80 min and 77% of MB degradation was observed. Thus, the synthesized AcL-CF-G nanocomposite could be a potential candidate material for the biomedical, environmental and catalysis fields.