Magnetic nickel ferrite nanoparticles: Green synthesis by Urtica and therapeutic effect of frequency magnetic field on creating cytotoxic response in neural cell lines

[Display omitted] •Magnetic NiFe2O4 rod-like platelet were prepared in the presence of Utrica as a novel green precursor.•Prepared nanoparticles indicated more cytotoxicity effects after 48 h of frequency magnetic field exposure.•Therapeutic properties of low frequency of magnetic field by MNPs on neural cells was indicated. Despite of great attention concerned on Ni ferrite nanostructures in bioapplications, little is known about the toxicity of these NPs at the cellular and molecular levels. U87 (human primary glioblastoma) and SH-SY5Y (human neuroblastoma) cells treated with various concentration of well-characterized magnetic nickel ferrite nanoparticles, exposed to frequency magnetic field (FMF) and their response was studied. Ferromagnetic nanocrystalline nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) powder that characterized by XRD, TEM, SEM, FT-IR, nanosizer, and VSM techniques were prepared by a hydrothermal method in the presence of Urtica plant extract as a green precursor that acts both as reducing and capping agent. Owing to the exceptional properties of green alkalinized agent such as minor toxicity, higher biodegradability, high active surface and environment compatibility, we used the green alkalinized agent (Utrica) to prepared nanostructures for the first time. According to the obtained results, the FMF exposure caused an increase in cell death in neural cell types 48 h after treatment. MNPs indicated dose-dependent cytotoxicity but the amount of cell death per cell in the absence of MFM for SH-SY5Y cells was more than in U87 cells. On the other hand, cell death induced by FMF exposure was observed specifically in SH-SY5Y cells. Nevertheless, it is essential to perform more investigations to find the exact related mechanisms. Imatinib showed dose-dependent antiproliferative effects in all three prostate cancer cell lines.