Mussaenda frondosa L. mediated facile green synthesis of Copper oxide nanoparticles – Characterization, photocatalytic and their biological investigations

Abstract

Green synthesis of Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) was achieved by using different parts of Mussaenda frondosa plant such as leaf, stem and leaf derived callus. Biofabricated CuO-NPs were characterized using Powder X- ray diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The XRD spectra confirmed the formation of pure monoclinical crystalline nature of CuO-NPs with an average grain size in the range of 2–10 nm. An extremely strong Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) between 300 and 400 nm distinctly reveals the synthesis of CuO-NPs. SEM and TEM analysis revealed the formation of spherical shaped agglomerated structures amidst large surface area. EDS spectra proved the existence of copper and oxygen elements in nanomaterials. FTIR spectra explained the possible bioactive molecules liable for the reduction of copper ions. DLS analysis and Zeta potential values validated the stability of CuO-NPs. The pore width distribution by the BJH plot indicates the mixture of meso as well as macropores with large surface area confirmed by BET analysis. Furthermore, the biofabricated NPs were investigated for photocatalytic and biological applications. CuO-NPs were found to exhibit potent DPPH radical scavenging activity. The cytotoxicity study was evaluated by MTT assay against Human lung cancer cell line (A549) and affirms the potent anticancer activity of CuO-NPs. The results of photocatalytic activity of methylene blue dye under UV- light depict 97.36% degradation at 140 min of illumination. Our studies illustrate facile green synthesis of CuO-NPs and found to possess significant biomedical and industrial applications.