Quaternary nanorods: promising versatile agents for cancer therapy, antimicrobial strategies and free radical neutralization

Cu2XSnS4 (CXTS; X: Zn, Mn or Co) nanorods (NRs) were prepared by a simple hot-injection method and their cytotoxic activities on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), metastatic melanoma (451Lu) and embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell lines were investigated for the first time. The antibacterial activities of these nanoparticles on both gram-positive (S. aureus) and gram-negative (E. coli) pathogenic bacteria as well as their DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl) scavenging activities were evaluated. The structural characterizations show that the obtained nanoparticles have the same crystal structure and are shaped as nanorods with an average 10-40 nm edge length. The data obtained in cytotoxicity studies revealed that the synthesized CXTS NRs have a significant inhibition effect, especially on cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and 451Lu), in a dose-dependent manner over a period of 24 h, demonstrating their potential for use as anticancer agents. In addition, the findings indicate that the synthesized nanorods possess strong antibacterial properties against the pathogenic microorganisms tested and display a marked antioxidant effect through efficient elimination of DPPH activity. This comprehensive study sheds light on the creation and development of CXTS NRs as promising versatile agents in various biomedical and environmental applications such as cancer therapy, antimicrobial strategies and the neutralization of free radicals.