Prunus dulcis-mediated zinc oxide nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and an evaluation of their biocidal properties

Abstract

Use of plant extracts for synthesizing zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles is gaining importance due to their easy, eco-friendly, cost effective and non-toxic nature. In this study, an economical biosynthetic approach of ZnO formation was delineated where aqueous extract of Prunus dulcis (almond) leaves has been used as reducing/capping agent followed by their characterization studies. The present study has successfully synthesized pure, highly crystalline in nature, predominantly spherical ZnO nanoparticles within the size range 71–214 nm for nanocystallites and 526 nm-2.37 μm for aggregated flower-shaped ZnO nanoparticles. Microbicidal properties of uncalcined and calcined ZnO nanoparticles were evaluated using test microbes (bacteria: E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis; fungi Penicillium spp., F. oxysporum, A. flavus, R. solani). Lack of microbicidal potential was observed against all four bacteria and fungi. When tested for toxicity against HCT-116 carcinoma cells, these nanoparticles displayed non-toxic nature. This biocompatibility is influenced by physico-chemical properties of ZnO nanoparticles as well as biological properties of living cells. Thus, these ZnO nanoparticles can serve as an innocuous machinery in disease therapeutics due to the presence of their non-microbicidal and non-antineoplastic activities.