Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles Loaded with 6-Gingerol: A Bioinspired Approach to Anticancer, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antioxidant Therapy

Purpose: The aim of this work is to synthesize magnesium oxide nanoparticles (Gi-MgO NPs) by extracting 6-gingerol (Gi) from Zingiber officinale rhizomes. The Gi-MgO NPs were further investigated for anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. Methods: The physical and chemical characteristics were examined by FT-IR, HPTLC, XRD, XPS, HR-SEM, HR-TEM, EDX, and zeta potential. Proton ( 1 H) and carbon ( 13 C) NMR spectroscopy were used to further understand the 6-gingerol compound. Gi-MgO NPs had well-dispersed spherical shapes with an average diameter of 26.18 ± 5.3 nm, a zeta potential of − 16.82 ± 7.47 mV, and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.305, respectively. Following that, the human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP‐1), anti-inflammatory action, and anti-oxidant properties were used to test the Gi-MgO NPs effects. Results: The Gi-loaded nanoparticles were shown to be more effective than 6-gingerol, as evidenced by their increased toxicity against the THP-1 cell line (IC 50 of 16.48 μg/mL) relative to control cells. Additionally, NPs demonstrated notable anti-inflammatory action with a membrane stabilization method value of 76.41% at 100 μg/mL. Subsequently, the DPPH and ABTS antioxidant properties of NPs showed significant inhibition rates of 69.82% and 78.16%, respectively. Conclusion: The present investigation revealed Gi-MgO NPs significant anticancer effect and ability to cause apoptosis in malignant cells by modifying the expression of apoptosis-related genes; however, additional ex vivo and molecular mechanism studies are required. Keywords: 6-gingerol, Gi-MgO NPs, NMR, HR-TEM, anticancer, THP-1 cells