Facile synthesis of ZnO-NPs from yellow creeping daisy (Sphagneticola trilobata L.) attenuates cell proliferation by inducing cellular level apoptosis against colon cancer

Abstract

Cancer is considered as one of the relatively high mortality diseases to humankind and the search for newer strategies to combat the disease is a never-ending process. In view of the same the present study was designed to biosynthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) from the aqueous leaf extract (ALE) of medicinally important plant Sphagneticola trilobata L. for the first time and to evaluate its efficacy in inducing cancer against HT-29 cells apart from identifying their biocompatible potential. The as-prepared StZnO-NPs were characterized by different techniques that signified the properties of the nanoparticles, which included an absorption peak at 298 nm, bandgap energy of 3.43 eV with a size of ∼ 29.83 nm. The scanning electron microscopic images confirmed the particles were agglomerated and the energy dispersive spectroscopic analysis confirmed the particles were of 98.23% purity. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the metabolites of the ALE act as reducing/ stabilizing agents during the synthesis process which was confirmed by the presence of absorbance peak between 400 cm−1 to 600 cm−1. The StZnO-NPs also offered potential antioxidant and genotoxic potential with an IC50 value of 0.7 mg mL−1. In addition, the cytotoxic ability of the StZnO-NPs against the HT-29 colon cancer cells and human erythrocytes revealed that the particles were cytotoxic towards HT-29 cells, while insignificant effect against the human erythrocytes. Further, a detailed investigation on the interaction with cells and their inherent toxicity may be enhanced through in vivo methods before their therapeutic usage as the StZnO-NPs evaluated during the study offered antioxidant, genotoxic and cytotoxic properties is biocompatible.