Salvia coccinea Buc'hoz ex Etl. Leaf extract mediated synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles: Assessment of antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer activity

Abstract

Salvia coccinea, a plant known for its medicinal properties, has been extensively utilized in biomedicine. In a recent study, green synthesizing of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) using the leaf extract of S. coccinea. The synthesized ZnONPs were thoroughly characterized using various techniques such as UV, FTIR, XRD, SEM with EDAX, TEM, particle size and Zeta potential analysis. The UV–vis analysis confirmed the successful synthesis of ZnONPs, as indicated by a distinct peak observed at 377 nm. FTIR spectra confirmed the various functional groups and molecular bonding interactions of the ZnONPs. XRD analysis revealed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles. SEM imaging confirmed the predominantly spherical structure of the ZnONPs, while EDAX confirmed the presence of Zinc (Z) and Oxygen (O) elements. TEM imaging revealed their rod-like shape with an average size of approximately 5 nm. Particle size analysis indicated a size of 14.2 nm and the high zeta potential value of −17.3mv confirmed their stability. The synthesized ZnONPs exhibited antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative pathogenic bacteria inhibitions. The antioxidant activity, as evidenced by DPPH and ABTS was highest inhibitions. Further evaluated the synthesized ZnONPs on human disease cell lines were also investigated from potential of anti-cancer properties in MCF-7 (68.96%) and A431 (64.73%). Overall, the findings of this study highlight the potential of the green synthesized ZnONPs as multifunctional agents with antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer properties. These nanoparticles hold promise for applications in biomedicine, suggesting sustainable solutions for addressing various health related challenges.