Synthesis and biocompatibility assessment of sugarcane bagasse-derived biogenic silica nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

Sugarcane bagasse is a fibrous material and an excellent bioresource for biogenic silica. Moreover, sugarcane bagasse has low production costs and is a sustainable precursor for the synthesis of biogenic silica nanoparticles (BSNPs). In this study, we synthesized BSNPs using sugarcane bagasse. The acid pretreatment of sugarcane was carried out in an autoclave, which eliminates metal ions and promotes the hydrolysis of organic substances. Residues of the acid pretreatment were incinerated at different temperatures to determine the role of temperature on the formation of BSNPs. The crystalline nature and morphology of the prepared BSNPs were analyzed using X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The X-ray diffraction analysis result indicates that the prepared BSNPs have an amorphous nature. Transmission electron microscopy images confirmed that the BSNPs have an irregular shape with a porous morphology. The biocompatibility of BSNPs was studied by assessing their effect on human lung fibroblast cell viability, morphology, mitochondrial function, reactive oxygen species, and gene expression. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays and microscopy studies suggested that BSNPs do not affect cell viability or morphology. BSNPs slightly affect the mitochondrial membrane potential at high doses. In addition, BSNPs decreased the percentage of human lung fibroblast cell in G1 and G2/M phases and increased the S population. These studies revealed that the BSNPs were biocompatible, indicating that they may be applicable for biomedical applications.