Fish mucus stabilized iron oxide nanoparticles: fabrication, DNA damage and bactericidal activity

Abstract

A facile method to produce iron oxide nanoparticles (FeO NPs) has been introduced as a part of green approach. Here, we introduce a semi-green method to fabricate FeO NPs using Channa straitus (C. straitus). The formation of FeO NPs was optimized with mucus extract (1, 2, and 3 mL) to study the size and morphology. The results reveal that the FeO NPs produced using 2 mL mucus possess the minimum size. The morphology, size, and crystallinity of nanoparticles was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron diffraction spectroscopy (EDS). Formation and the functional groups responsible for reduction and stabilization of nanoparticles were confirmed by UV-Vis and FTIR analysis. The synthesized FeO NPs were examined for their size dependent antibacterial activity. The FeO stabilized with mucus exhibited zone of inhibition against Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus oralis, Bacteroides fragilis, and Proteus vulgaris. The DNA cleavage study revealed that the FeO NPs induce cell death by apoptosis. The results of the present study suggest that the iron oxide might be used for medicinal applications especially for cancer therapeutics.