Mechanistic insight and in-vitro validation of ampicillin/scoparone-functionalized ZnO nanoparticles as antioxidant, and antimicrobial therapeutics against antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli.

In recent years, there has been a significant focus on the green synthetization of metal oxide nanoparticles due to their environmentally friendly features and cost-effectiveness. The aim of this study is to biosynthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) through a green method, utilizing crude banana peel extract as reducing and capping agents, to characterize the synthesized ZnO NPs and test their antibacterial activity. ZnO NPs were biosynthesized using the peel extract of banana with various concentrations of zinc acetate dihydrate salt, followed by annealing at 400 °C for 2 h. The synthesized ZnO NPs were characterized using UV–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), attenuated total reflectance–Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Also, its antibacterial efficiency against different bacterial strains was tested. ZnO NPs were biosynthesized successfully using the extract of Musa Acumniata (cavendish) fruit peel with a UV-Vis wavelength range of 344 to 369 nm and an electrical band gap ranging from 3.36 to 3.61 eV. The size varied from 27 ± 4 nm to 89 ± 22, and the negative zeta potential (ζ) ranged from −14.72 ± 0.77 to −7.43 ± 0.35 mV. ATR-FTIR analysis showed that the extract phytochemical functional groups were present on ZnO NPs. XRD results confirm the formation of a highly pure wurtzite hexagonal structure of ZnO NPs. Moreover, the best obtained size of ZnO NPs was selected for the antibacterial tests, giving the highest inhibition growth rate against Staphylococcus epidermidis (98.6 ± 0.9%), while the lowest rate was against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (88.4 ± 4.4%). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were reported and compared to previous studies. The unique properties of greenly synthesized ZnO NPs and their antibacterial activity have potential for reducing environmental pollution and the use of antibiotics, which may contribute to solving the problem of bacterial resistance. Therefore, studies that aim to design an applicable dosage form loaded with biosynthesized ZnO NPs might be conducted in the future.

Background:The Zinc oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were synthesized successfully by using Tagetes erecta flower aqueous extract and evaluated for their antioxidant potential, antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential.Methods:Phytochemical screening of aqueous crude extract and synthesized ZnO NPs of Tagetes erecta flower revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, amino acids, tannins, proteins, etc. The characterization was done by various spectral analyses. In vitro antioxidant activities of synthesized ZnO NPs were found to possess concentration-dependent free radical scavenging activity was carried on different free radicals i.e. DPPH and ABTS. Antimicrobial activity of synthesized ZnO NPs was performed by agar well diffusion method and compared with control ampicillin, while cytotoxic effects were determined by MTT assay against human cervical cancer cell line.Results:UV-Visible spectra were conducted to confirm the synthesis of ZnO NPs and peak obtained at 364.15nm. X-ray analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles and the average size of the nanoparticles was 30-50nm and was spherical shape analyzed by SEM. The synthesized ZnO NPs showed antimicrobial activity against all tested microorganisms and a maximum inhibition zone was found against E. coli in gram-negative and S. aureus in gram-positive bacteria. Synthesized ZnO NPs were showed 50% cell viability at 26.53μg/ml against the HeLa cancer cell line.Conclusion:The conclusion of this study suggests both the aqueous crude extract of Tagetes erecta flower and synthesized ZnO NPs showed an excellent alternative source of antimicrobial agent also an attractive selective cytotoxic activity against HeLa tested cancer lines, offering satisfying ‘safe and cheaper’ alternatives to conventional therapy protocols.

In the recent decade, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been widely explored owing to their versatile properties and prodigious demands in the drug delivery, medical, energy storage, cosmetics, and the healthcare sectors. Therefore, the current work opts for an environmentally benign method to prepare ZnO NPs. The leaf extract of Calendula officinalis L. acts as a reducing agent for the metal ions; therefore, in the current research, ZnO NPs were prepared via green route by using Calendula officinalis leaf extract. Furthermore, the ZnO NPs were analysed with different spectroscopic techniques to confirm the structure and stability of nanomaterials. The prepared ZnO NPs were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, FT-IR and UV–Vis studies. Also, the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the synthesized ZnO NPs were investigated. The XRD result of synthesized ZnO NPs showed the crystalline size 28.23 nm with wurtzite hexagonal structure along with the most intense peak (101). Following preliminary confirmations of the intended ZnO NPs, both big and small agglomerated forms were observed in the FE-SEM, which is often used to determine their exterior assembly. Further, the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) indicated the formation of pure ZnO NPs with an absorption peak of the Zn–O bond between 4000 cm−1 and 500 cm−1 and no discernible peak in the monitoring range. The UV–Vis spectrum of the green synthesized ZnO NPs were revealed two prominent absorption peaks at 355 nm and 370 nm with energy band gap of 2.986 eV. Using the 1, 1-di phenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test, the antioxidant activity of the described ZnO NPs was assessed. It demonstrated how, ZnO NPs significantly increased their antioxidant activity by scavenging 1, 1-di phenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. It could be seen that synthesis of the naturally occurring plant product ZnO NPs have been acting as an alternate of chemical antioxidant. The antimicrobial analysis was also performed with the help of disk diffusion method where three multi-drug resistant human pathogens namely Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and E.coli were used. The Zone of Inhibition diameter values are 35.2 mm ± 0.9, 23.6 mm ± 0.1 and 13.5 mm ± 0.1, respectively, which showed that the ZnO NPs was highly effective against S. aureus. Thus, the green synthesis method of ZnO NPs using leaf extract of Calendula officinalis is evidence that it is superior and environmentally friendly method for the preparation of ZnO NPs and hence it can be utilized in various nano-medicine approaches.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are the second most prevalent metal oxide, owing to their characteristics of low cost, safe, and easily prepared. ZnO NPs have been found to exhibit unique properties which show their potential to be used in various therapies. Numerous techniques have been devised for the manufacture of zinc oxide because it is one of the nanomaterials that has received major research interest. Mushroom sources are proven to be efficient, ecologically friendly, inexpensive, and safe for humankind. In the current study, an aqueous fraction of methanolic extract of Lentinula edodes (L. edoes) was used to synthesize ZnO NPs. The biosynthesis of ZnO NPs was achieved by using the reducing and capping capability of an L. edodes aqueous fraction. Bioactive compounds from mushroom, such as flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds, are used in the green synthesis process to biologically reduce metal ions or metal oxides to metal NPs. Biogenically synthesized ZnO NPs were further characterized by using UV-Vis, FTIR, HPLC, XRD, SEM, EDX, zeta sizer and zeta potential analyses. The FTIR showed the functional group at the spectra in the range 3550-3200 cm-1 indicated the presence of the hydroxyl (OH) group, while bands in the range 1720-1706 cm-1 indicated C=O carboxylic stretches bonds. Furthermore, the XRD pattern of ZnO NPs created in the current study was found to be nanocrystals which are hexagonal. The SEM analysis of ZnO NPs showed spherical shapes and size distributions in the range 90-148 nm. Biologically synthesized ZnO NPs have substantial biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antipyretic, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory potential. Biological activities showed significant antioxidant (65.7 ± 1.09), antidiabetic (85.18 ± 0.48), and anti-inflammatory potential (86.45 ± 0.60) at 300 µg inhibition in paw inflammation of (1.1 ± 0.06) and yeast-induced pyrexia (97.4 ± 0.51) at 10 mg in a dose-dependent manner. The outcomes of this research indicated that ZnO NPs significantly reduced inflammation and have the ability to scavenge free radicals and prevent protein denaturation, while also indicating their possible use in food and nutraceutical applications to treat various ailments.

PurposeThe study aimed to find an effective method for fungal-mediated synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using endophytic fungal extracts and to evaluate the efficiency of synthesized ZnO NPs as antimicrobial and anticancerous agents.MethodsZinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were produced from zinc nitrate hexahydrate with fungal filtrate by the combustion method. The spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, such as ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with selected area electron diffraction (SAED), were used to characterize the obtained product. Antibacterial activity on Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) samples was tested by broth microplate dilution technique. ZnO NPs antifungal activity was determined against plant pathogenic and regular contaminating fungi using the food-poison method. The anticancerous assay of the synthesized ZnO NPs was also investigated by cell uptake, MTT assay, and apoptosis assay.ResultsThe fungal synthesized ZnO NPs were pure, mainly hexagonal in shape and size range of 34–55 nm. The biosynthesized ZnO NPs could proficiently inhibit both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. ZnO NPs synthesized from fungal extract exhibited antifungal activity in a dose-dependent manner with a high percentage of mycelial inhibition. The cell uptake analysis of ZnO NPs suggests that a significant amount of ZnO NPs (1 μg/mL) was internalized without disturbing cancer cells’ morphology. As a result, the synthesized ZnO NPs showed significant anticancer activity against cancer cells at 1 μg/mL concentration.ConclusionThis fungus-mediated synthesis of ZnO NPs is a simple, eco-friendly, and non-toxic method. Our results show that the synthesized ZnO NPs are an excellent novel antimicrobial and anticancer agent. Further studies are required to understand the mechanism of the antimicrobial, anticancerous action of ZnO NPs and their possible genotoxicity.

Simple SummaryThe overuse of antibiotics in the poultry industry has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms. Thus, there is a need to find an alternative to conventional antibiotics. Recently, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have gained much attention due to their excellent antibacterial activity. In addition, ZnO NPs is an essential trace mineral in poultry diets. In this sense, incorporating ZnO NPs into poultry can promote growth and performance while serving as an alternative antibacterial agent to control diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the in vitro antibacterial activity and antibacterial mechanisms of ZnO NPs against poultry-associated foodborne pathogens (Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus). The obtained findings demonstrated effective antibacterial actions against the tested microorganisms. The nanotechnology approach could represent a new tool for combating pathogens in the poultry industry.Since the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in the poultry industry is currently a serious threat, there is an urgent need to develop a more efficient and alternative antibacterial substance. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have exhibited antibacterial efficacy against a wide range of microorganisms. Although the in vitro antibacterial activity of ZnO NPs has been studied, little is known about the antibacterial mechanisms of ZnO NPs against poultry-associated foodborne pathogens. In the present study, ZnO NPs were successfully synthesized using Lactobacillus plantarum TA4, characterized, and their antibacterial potential against common avian pathogens (Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus) was investigated. Confirmation of ZnO NPs by UV-Visual spectroscopy showed an absorption band center at 360 nm. Morphologically, the synthesized ZnO NPs were oval with an average particle size of 29.7 nm. Based on the dissolution study of Zn2+, ZnO NPs released more ions than their bulk counterparts. Results from the agar well diffusion assay indicated that ZnO NPs effectively inhibited the growth of the three poultry-associated foodborne pathogens. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were assessed using various concentrations of ZnO NPs, which resulted in excellent antibacterial activity as compared to their bulkier counterparts. S. aureus was more susceptible to ZnO NPs compared to the other tested bacteria. Furthermore, the ZnO NPs demonstrated substantial biofilm inhibition and eradication. The formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cellular material leakage was quantified to determine the underlying antibacterial mechanisms, whereas a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to examine the morphological changes of tested bacteria treated with ZnO NPs. The findings suggested that ROS-induced oxidative stress caused membrane damage and bacterial cell death. Overall, the results demonstrated that ZnO NPs could be developed as an alternative antibiotic in poultry production and revealed new possibilities in combating pathogenic microorganisms.

Introduction/Objective Introduction: Advancements in nanoscale materials have led to the exploration of metal oxides for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are particularly promising due to their biocompatibility and anticancer properties demonstrated across various cancer cell lines. Objectives This study aimed to isolate fungal endophytes from Eucalyptus sideroxylon leaves and utilize them for the biosynthesis of nanoparticles (ZnO NPs and Au NPs) to assess their anticancer activity. Methods/Case Report Methods: Healthy Eucalyptus sideroxylon samples were collected from a desert research center, and endophytes were isolated and cultivated. The fungal biomass was processed to synthesize ZnO NPs and Au NPs. Cell lines were propagated for cytotoxicity experiments using the MTT assay in a 96-well plate format. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) Results: Biosynthesized ZnO and Au NPs exhibited anticancer activity against HCT-116 and CACO2 cell lines. The IC50 values for ZnO NPs were 5.06 μg/mL for HCT-116 and 6.07 μg/mL for CACO2, while Au NPs showed IC50 values of 5.9 μg/mL for HCT-116 and 1.1 μg/mL for CACO2. ZnO NPs demonstrated dose-dependent toxicity on HCT-116 cells, with increasing concentrations leading to a reduction in cell viability. Similarly, Au NPs exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity on both cell lines. Conclusion Conclusion: This study underscores the potential of endophytic fungi for biosynthesizing metal nanoparticles with significant anticancer effects. ZnO NPs displayed superior efficacy against colon cancer cells compared to Au NPs, indicating their potential as therapeutic agents. The findings highlight the importance of exploring natural sources for nanoparticle synthesis and their application in cancer therapy.

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using plant extracts have recently attracted considerable attention due to their environmental protection benefits and their easy and low cost of fabrication. In the current study, ZnO NPS were synthesized using the aqueous extract of Ochradenus arabicus as a capping and reducing agent. The obtained ZnO NPs were firstly characterized using ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray absorption (EDX), zeta potential, and zeta size. All these techniques confirmed the characteristic features of the biogenic synthesized ZnO NPs. Then, ZnO NPs were evaluated for their effects on morphological, biochemical, and physiological parameters of Salvia officinalis cultured in Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0, 75, 100, and 150 mM of NaCl. The results showed that ZnO NPs at a dose of 10 mg/L significantly increased the shoot number, shoot fresh weight, and shoot dry weight of Salvia officinalis subjected or not to the salt stress. For the shoot length, a slight increase of 4.3% was recorded in the plant treated by 150 mM NaCl+10 mg/L ZnO NPs compared to the plant treated only with 150 mM of NaCl. On the other hand, without NaCl, the application of both concentrations 10 mg/L and 30 mg/L of ZnO NPs significantly improved the total chlorophyll content by 30.3% and 21.8%, respectively. Under 150 mM of NaCl, the addition of 10 mg/L of ZnO NPs enhanced the total chlorophyll by 1.5 times, whilst a slight decrease of total chlorophyll was recorded in the plants treated by 150 mM NaCl + 30 mg/L ZnO NPs. Additionally, ZnO NPs significantly enhance the proline accumulation and the antioxidative enzyme activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione reductase (GR) in plants under salinity. Our findings revealed that green synthesized ZnO NPs, especially at a dose of 10 mg/L, play a crucial role in growth enhancement and salt stress mitigation. Hence, this biosynthesized ZnO NPs at a concentration of 10 mg/L can be considered as effective nanofertilizers for the plants grown in salty areas.

In this study, green synthesis methods were employed to fabricate zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) using Newbouldia laevis leaves plant extract. Several analytical methods, including Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and UV-Vis spectrophotometer, were used to characterise the green synthesised ZnONPs. The synthesis of ZnONPs with distinct properties was successfully demonstrated by the structural and morphological investigations. The existence of functional groups involved in the stabilisation and reduction of the nanoparticles was established by FTIR. The shape of the nanoparticles was revealed by TEM. It produced non-spherical particles with a well-defined size distribution, a crystalline structure with a hexagonal shape morphology, and an average nanoparticle size of 34.8 nm. The ZnONPs that were green-synthesised demonstrated unique antioxidant characteristics. The findings showed that the ZnONPs’ capacity to scavenge radicals increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Excellent antifungal activities against Trichophyton rubrum, Aspergilus fumigatus, and Candida albicans were also demonstrated by the synthesised ZnONPs. This suggests that at 100, 200, and 400 mg/mL, the environmentally friendly ZnONPs show inhibitory zones that range from 9 to 18 mm. The use green synthesized ZnO NPs have shown excellent antifungal, antioxidant and photocatalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol under sunlight. Green synthesis, zinc oxide nanoparticles, 4-ntrophenol, Trichophyton rubrum.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized using coffee leaf extract assisted with ultrasound as nanocarriers for mangiferin

In this present study, the Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) were synthesized using the aqueous stem extract of the Indian parasitic plant Cuscuta reflexa. Further, the synthesized nanoparticles were tested as larvicidal activity against the malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi larvae. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized with UV-visible spectroscopy, X-rays powder diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy with Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The mortality of larva was observed after 48 h by probit analysis. The synthesized ZnO NPs and TiO2 NPs were spherical in shape, and 40.86 nm and 85.58 nm in size, respectively. The TiO2 NPs were found highly effective against the larvae of An. stephensi (100% mortality in the first and fourth instar, 50–90% mortality in second instar, and 40–80% mortality in third instar larvae) than the ZnO NPs and aqueous stem extract. The present study reveals the first report of the synthesis of ZnO NPs and TiO2 NPs using the aqueous stem extract of C. reflexa which is a rapid, , and eco-safe approach. This could be a safe and useful technology for mosquito control.

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl leaf extracts and its antifungal activity

Antioxidant, antimicrobial, and photocatalytic activity of green synthesized ZnO-NPs from Myrica esculenta fruits extract

This study aimed to assess the apoptosis-inducing mechanism of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) stabilized by Solanum xanthocarpum plant extract in human osteosarcoma MG63 cells. In the present study, we synthesized ZnO NPs from S. xanthocarpum extract and evaluated its anticancer mechanism on MG 63 cells. The synthesized ZnO NPs were characterized by ultraviolet spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. The mean size of the synthesized ZnO NPs was 21.62 ± 7.45 nm and spherical in shape. The cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs on MG63 cells was determined by MTT assay. The Western blot analysis was carried out to examine the expression of apoptotic and autophagy-related proteins in MG63 cells. The findings of the study reveal that ZnO NPs treatment showed concentration-dependent cytotoxicity, increased lipid peroxidation, decreased antioxidant activity, increased reactive oxygen species generation, and increased DNA damage. In addition, ZnO NPs treatment increased the expression of apoptotic members such as p53, Bax, caspase-3, -8, and -9 while downregulating Bcl-2 expression in MG63 cells. Furthermore, ZnO NPs treatment suppressed the P13K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and increased the expression of LC3 and beclin-1 in MG63 cells. The present study demonstrated that ZnO NPs induced apoptosis and autophagy in MG63 cells through modifying apoptotic and autophagy-related proteins.

Green synthesis of nanoparticles known as the synthesis of nanoparticles using biosynthetic methods involving naturally reducing agents such as polysaccharides, biological microorganism such as bacteria and fungus or plants extract. The synthesis of nanoparticles by the use of biological methods have reached a colossal signification above physical and chemical procedures, this is due to the use of innocuous, biocompatible, and ecologically-sound substrates and remarkably uncomplicated synthetic processes at encompassing conditions. In this research, the synthesis, characterization and the determination of the antibacterial activity of Zinc oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was ascertained using stem bark extract of Ficus thonningii (Blume) as a stabilizing agent. However, the anti-diabetic activity and some biochemical changes caused by the synthesized ZnO NPs on alloxan-induced diabetic Wistar Rats were also determined. ZnO NPs were synthesized using biological method at different concentrations of ZnO solution (1mM, 2mM, 3mM and 4mM), these NPs were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR and SEM. Wistar rats weight 185 ± 5g were grouped into nine (9) groups (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and I). Group A served as normal control which was given only feed and water, group B, C, D and E, were induce and treated with 1mM, 2mM, 3mM and 4mM ZnONPs respectively, then F and G were induced and treated with aqueous extract and ethanolic extract while H was induced and treated with Glibenclamide (standard drug for diabetes) by gavage method and finally I was induced and untreated which served as diabetic control. The results showed that ZnO NPs were synthesized with the indication of the change in colour from yellow to dark brown colour. The UV-visible spectroscopy was taken at range between 200nm to 700nm which displayed different peaks at the range of 209nm to 383nm. However, the FTIR showed the existence of various functional groups such as C=C stretch, C≡C stretch and Alcohol OH stretch representing the bioactive compounds such as phenol, amine and many others. The Nanoparticles were analyzed with SEM to examine the morphology of the Nanoparticles. The diabetic induced rats revealed significant decrease in fasting blood glucose after treatment compared with the diabetic untreated rats, the doses were effective when compared with Glibenclamide treated rats. The levels of serum Alkaline phosphatase, Alanine Amino transferase, Albumin, Globulin, Bilirubin, Total Protein, Urea, Creatinine and Electrolytes concentrations displayed no significant increase relative to diabetic control (p < 0.05; n ≥ 5).