Revolutionary composites of silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles from Hardwickia binata: Unleashing their potent antioxidant and anticancer properties

Abstract

In the present of the study, was utilized the leaf extract of H. binata to synthesize Ag-ZnO nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were characterized using various techniques, including UV, FTIR, XRD and SEM-EDX. Nanocomposites are known for their promising properties, such as mechanical, thermal, electrical and optical characteristics, which have attracted significant attention from both academia and industry, resulting in active research in various fields. The introduction of silver (Ag) into the nanocomposites enabled them to exhibit UV light absorption at 366 nm, while the presence of zinc confirmed the peak at 431 nm. XRD analysis was carried out to determine the crystal structure and composition of the materials. The antibacterial properties of the Ag-ZnO nanocomposites were evaluated using the disc diffusion method, revealing the highest inhibition against the bacteria strain Bacillus subtilis (19 mm) compared to other strains. Furthermore, the nanocomposites demonstrated strong antioxidant activity against DPPH (56%), ABTS (59%) and exhibited anti-inflammatory activity (62%). Additionally, the Ag-ZnO nanocomposites showed promising anti-cancer properties, as evidenced by their effectiveness against a skin cancer cell line (A431-69%). Moreover, the nanocomposites displayed significant photocatalytic activity, resulting in a 70% degradation rate. Overall, this study successfully synthesized Ag-ZnO nanocomposites that exhibited robust antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. These findings suggest the potential application of these nanocomposites in cancer treatment and environmental studies, particularly in dye degradation.