Facile green synthesis of ZnO–CuO nanocomposites using areca catechu leaves and their in vitro antidiabetic and cytotoxicity studies

Abstract

The fabrication and diverse applications of mixed oxides have received immense interest due to numerous prospects for better functional performance in tuning their properties compared to the basic metal oxides. Herein, we report synthesis of ZnO-CuO nanocomposites (NCs) using a simple and green route solution combustion method. The as-prepared ZnO-CuO NCs have been characterised through x-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The results revealed that as-prepared ZnO-CuO NCs have spherical and rod-shaped structures with an average size between 10 and 30 nm. Further, ZnO-CuO NCs were tested for antidiabetic and anticancer properties. Amylase inhibition and MTT assays were carried out with different concentrations of NCs. The biological results depicted that the as-prepared nanocomposites exhibited significant cytotoxic effects with IC50 value of 13.29 μg mg−1. These observations further showed that the newly synthesised ZnO–CuO NCs are interesting and promising nanomaterials in pharmaceutical and healthcare sector.