Triple-cation CoPrFe-layered double hydroxide: Harnessing peroxidase-mimicking activity, antibacterial, and anticancer potentials in a single system

Nanomaterial-based therapies are promising tools to combat bacterial infections and efficiently target cancer cells. In the present study, we synthesized praseodymium-doped CoFe-layered double hydroxide (CoPrFe ternary LDH) and characterized it using different advanced methods. The produced LDH demonstrated strong peroxidase-like performance, speeding up the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by H2O2 to yield a bluish-colored product. The experimental conditions, pH and temperature, were optimized, and steady-state kinetic parameters were calculated. The obtained Km values were lower than those of natural peroxidases, suggesting the superior catalytic potential of CoPrFe-LDH. Furthermore, the bactericidal performance of the synthesized CoPrFe-LDH was examined against two model bacterial strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration values were obtained and the results demonstrated the higher sensitivity of S. aureus towards CoPrFe-LDH. The FE-SEM images and fluorescence microscopy results indicated that the cell membrane damage could be considered the main antibacterial mechanism of CoPrFe-LDH. Furthermore, the anticancer activity of CoPrFe-LDH was checked, and it was shown that the LDH induces apoptosis in the breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231), and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration value was estimated to be 38.17 μg/mL. This work may offer new approaches to creating unique LDH-derived nanoenzymes for use in biotechnology and medicine.