Bio-fabrication, characterization and biological properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) from scarlet morning glory- Ipomoea hederifolia

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are a topic of substantial interest for their unique catalytic, magnetic, electrical, optical, and biological properties. It has been noted that plant-mediated synthesis of these nanoparticles has gained attention due to limitations in the chemically synthesized particles, which are also found hazardous to the environment. In the study, the leaf extract of Ipomoea hederifolia L. was utilized to bio-fabricate ZnO-NPs (Ih-ZnO-NPs) and is the earliest to describe the bio-fabrication of ZnO-NPs using the plant and its biological properties. UV–Vis Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to elucidate the structural characters of bio-fabricated Ih-ZnO-NPs. The structural characterization studies revealed that Ih-ZnO-NPs are of hexagonal shape, ∼20 nm size and high purity. Aggregation of Ih-ZnO-NPs was noticed under the SEM with a purity of 98 % when analyzed through EDS. The Ih-ZnO-NPs offered significant antibacterial properties with an MIC of 0.312 mg mL−1 for S. aureus and B. subtilis followed by 0.625 mL−1 and 1.25 mg mL−1 for E. coli and S. typhi, respectively. In addition, the antioxidant and antimitotic investigation found that the particles had a dose-dependent activity with an IC50 of 0.94 mg mL−1 and 1.59 mg mL−1, respectively. The results demonstrate that these bio-fabricated ZnO-NPs can be utilized as an alternative to current chemical components after further validation.