Zinc oxide nanoparticles in smart agricultural fertilization: Current developments and future perspectives

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.

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have potential application in precision farming and sustainable agriculture. Studies have shown that ENPs enhance the efficiency of the delivery of agrochemicals and thus, have the potential to positively affect the environment, thereby improving the growth and health of the crops. However, the majority of the research on the effects of ENPs on plants and in agricultural applications have been limited to controlled laboratory conditions. These conditions do not fully consider various aspects inherent to the growth of agricultural plants in fields under changing weather and climate. Some of the most investigated ENPs in the agricultural research area are ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs). ZnO NPs have the potential to increase crop production and stress resistance, mainly by the slow release of Zn ions to crops. Unlike ZnO NPs, TiO2 NPs have less well-understood means of action, and are generally considered as plant growth promoter. This mini review presents information compiled for ZnO and TiO2 NPs, their influence on agricultural plants with emphasis on particularly effect on plant growth, nutrient distribution and pollution remediation under field conditions. It is concluded that in order to gain a broader perspective, more field studies are needed, particularly multigeneration studies, to fully understand the effects of the ENPs on agricultural plants’ growth and improvement of their health.

Multifaceted applications of chitosan-L-ornithine modified ZnO nanoparticles: Antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer potentials

Soil contamination with chromium (Cr) is becoming a primary ecological and health concern, specifically in the Kasur and Sialkot regions of Pakistan. The main objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of foliar application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) (0, 25, 50, 100 mg L−1) and Fe NPs (0, 5, 10, 20 mg L−1) in red sails lettuce plants grown in Cr-contaminated soil. Our results showed that both ZnO and Fe NPs improved plant growth, and photosynthetic attributes by minimizing oxidative stress in lettuce plants through the stimulation of antioxidant enzyme activities. At ZnO NPs (100 mgL−1), dry weights of shoots and roots and fresh weights of shoots and roots were improved by 53%, 58%, 34%, and 45%, respectively, as compared to the respective control plants. The Fe NPs treatment (20 mgL−1) increased the dry weight of shoots and the roots and fresh weights of shoots and roots by 53%, 76%, 42%, and 70%, respectively. Application of both NPs reduced the oxidative stress caused by Cr, as evident by the findings of the current study, i.e., at the ZnO NPs (100 mgL−1) and Fe NPs (20 mgL−1), the EL declined by 32% and 44%, respectively, in comparison with respective control plants. Moreover, Fe and ZnO NPs enhanced the Fe and Zn contents in red sails lettuce plants. Application of ZnO NPs at 100 mg L−1 and Fe NPs at 20 mg L−1, improved the Zn and Fe contents in plant leaves by 86%, and 68%, respectively, as compared to the control plants. This showed that the exogenous application of these NPs helped in Zn and Fe fortification in plants. At similar of concenteration ZnO NPs, CAT and APX activities were improved by 52% and 53%, respectively. Similarly, the POD contents were improved by 17% and 45% at 5 and 10 mg/L of Fe NPs. Furthermore, ZnO and Fe NPs limited the Cr uptake by plants, and the concentration of Cr in the leaves of lettuce was under the threshold limit. The exogenous application of ZnO NPs (100 mg L−1) and Fe NPs (20 mg L−1) reduced the Cr uptake in the leaves of red sails lettuce by 57% and 51%, respectively. In conclusion, ZnO and Fe NPs could be used for the improvement of plant growth and biomass as well as nutrient fortification in stressed environments. These findings not only underscore the efficacy of nanoparticle-assisted phytoremediation but also highlight its broader implications for sustainable agriculture and environmental health. However, future studies on other crops with molecular-level investigations are recommended for the validation of the results.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. The use of a combination of chemotherapy drugs and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), which have proven to induce tumor-selective cell death, reduce the drug resistance and reduce the side effects in vitro. In the present study, we developed ZnO-NPs loaded with both cisplatin (Cp) and gemcitabine (Gem) (ZnO-NPs(Cp/Gem)), then the morphologies and the size distribution of ZnO-NPs(Cp/Gem) particles were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Also, MTT, western blot and Annexin V-PI were used to assess the anti-tumor role of ZnO-NPs(Cp/Gem) in A549 cells. The viability for A549 cells showed a significant decrease in the ZnO NPs(Cp/Gem) group, respectively relative to Cp, Gem, the combination of Cp and Gem (Cp+Gem), and ZnO-NPs loaded with Cp (ZnO-NPs(Cp)) or Gem (ZnO-NPs(Gem)). Furthermore, ZnO-NPs(Cp/Gem) remarkably enhanced the apoptosis-promoting effect of Cp and Gem in A549 cells. The xenograft model showed that Zno-NPS (Cp/Gem) significantly enhanced the inhibition of Cp and Gem on tumor formation. The above results suggested that therapy of NSCLC with ZnO-NPs(Cp/Gem) could enhance the cytotoxic action of chemotherapeutic agents synergistically, indicating a promising potential for ZnO-NPs in antitumor applications.

The fabrication of zinc oxide nanoparticles is a concept since zinc oxide nanoparticles can effectively cling onto things that it reacts to light and zinc oxide nanoparticles do not pose any threat to the environment. This paper prepared zinc oxide nanoparticles through a technique known as controlled precipitation and ultimately we monitored the appearance of zinc oxide nanoparticles as well as the process through which zinc oxide nanoparticles were prepared. We then cleaned the water with the use of these zinc oxide nanoparticles with a particular aim of eliminating metals, such as lead, cadmium and chromium. ZnO is very reactive and it has a surface area. This implies that ZnO is able to capture the metals and degrade them thereby decreasing the metal ions in the water. This informs us that ZnO nanoparticles may be a viable approach towards cleaning heavy metals in factory wastewater. This will ensure that it is safer to the environment. Some of the resources can be recovered. ZnO nanoparticles are a water cleaning material and heavy metal recovery material. ZnO nanoparticles are able to clean the water and render it safer. At this, ZnO nanoparticles are truly good. In this paper, the researcher examines how Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles can be prepared e.g. through chemical precipitation, sol-gel and green synthesis. It identifies the good and bad things regarding each of these approaches to the production of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles. Another aspect that the paper discusses is the application of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in water treatment. As an example, Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles have the ability to pick pollutants. It is possible to disperse them with light and filter them. We also talk of getting metals back using Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles. Some techniques such as adsorption-desorption and electrochemical recovery can be applied to the Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles to retrieve the metals back. ZnO NPs are a good method of treating water and recovering heavy metals. ZnO NPs are quite effective in the treatment of water. Removing the heavy metals since they possess some good qualities. The paper discusses the latest development of ZnO NPs such as how to make them easily, eco-friendly, and how ZnO NPs are used to trap harmful compounds in the water using sunshine to dissipate them and using ZnO NPs to filter the water by using ZnO NPs. ZnO NPs prove to be great in the elimination of metals. We can also apply such techniques as adsorption-desorption or electrochemical recovery to recover metals using ZnO NPs. ZnO NPs is a cheap method of purifying water and recover heavy metals. The most pleasant thing is the fact that the ZnO NPs can be utilized on a scale without damaging the environment. ZnO NPs are a cleaning and retrieving heavy metals back solution to water using ZnO NPs. KEY WORDS: Cardamom, Aloe vera, Zinc nitrate hexahydrate, wastewater treatment, lead, UV visible spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, SEM / TEM.

This study aimed to investigate the characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) produced from Cucurbita pepo L. (pumpkin seeds) and their selective cytotoxic effectiveness on human colon cancer cells (HCT 116) and African Green Monkey Kidney, Vero cells. The study also investigated the antioxidant activity of ZnONPs. The study also examined ZnONPs' antioxidant properties. This was motivated by the limited research on the comparative cytotoxic effects of ZnO NPs on normal and HCT116 cells. The ZnO NPs were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Transmission Electron Microscope/Selected Area Electron Diffraction (TEM/SAED), and Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) for determination of chemical fingerprinting, heat stability, size, and morphology of the elements, respectively. Based on the results, ZnO NPs from pumpkins were found to be less than 5 μm and agglomerates in nature. Furthermore, the ZnO NPs fingerprinting and SEM-EDX element analysis were similar to previous literature, suggesting the sample was proven as ZnO NPs. The ZnO NPs also stable at a temperature of 380°C indicating that the green material is quite robust at 60-400°C. The cell viability of Vero cells and HCT 116 cell line were measured at two different time points (24 and 48 h) to assess the cytotoxicity effects of ZnO NP on these cells using AlamarBlue assay. Cytotoxic results have shown that ZnO NPs did not inhibit Vero cells but were slightly toxic to cancer cells, with a dose-response curve IC50 = ~409.7 μg/mL. This green synthesis of ZnO NPs was found to be non-toxic to normal cells but has a slight cytotoxicity effect on HCT 116 cells. A theoretical study used molecular docking to investigate nanoparticle interaction with cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), exploring its mechanism in inhibiting CDK2's role in cancer. Further study should be carried out to determine suitable concentrations for cytotoxicity studies. Additionally, DPPH has a significant antioxidant capacity, with an IC50 of 142.857 μg/mL. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Pumpkin seed extracts facilitated a rapid, high-yielding, and environmentally friendly synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles. Spectrophotometric analysis was used to investigate the optical properties, scalability, size, shape, dispersity, and stability of ZnO NPs. The cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs on Vero and HCT 116 cells was assessed, showing no inhibition of Vero cells and cytotoxicity of cancer cells. The DPPH assay was also used to investigate the antioxidant potential of biogenic nanoparticles. A molecular docking study was performed to investigate the interaction of ZnO NPs with CDK2 and to explore the mechanism by which they inhibit CDK2's role in cancer.

Zinc oxide Nanoparticles, Biosynthesis, characterization and their potent photocatalytic degradation, and antioxidant activities

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) exhibit diverse applications, including antimicrobial, UV-blocking, and catalytic properties, due to their unique structure and properties. This study focused on the characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized from Juglans regia leaves and their application in mitigating the impact of simultaneous infection by Meloidogyne arenaria (root-knot nematode) and Macrophomina phaseolina (root-rot fungus) in cowpea plants. The characterization of ZnO NPs was carried out through various analytical techniques, including UV–visible spectrophotometry, Powder-XRD analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, and SEM-EDX analysis. The study confirmed the successful synthesis of ZnO NPs with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and exceptional purity. Under in vitro conditions, ZnO NPs exhibited significant nematicidal and antifungal activities. The mortality of M. arenaria juveniles increased with rising ZnO NP concentrations, and a similar trend was observed in the inhibition of M. phaseolina mycelial growth. SEM studies revealed physical damage to nematodes and structural distortions in fungal hyphae due to ZnO NP treatment. In infected cowpea plants, ZnO NPs significantly improved plant growth parameters, including plant length, fresh mass, and dry mass, especially at higher concentrations. Leghemoglobin content and the number of root nodules also increased after ZnO NP treatment. Additionally, ZnO NPs reduced gall formation and egg mass production by M. arenaria nematodes and effectively inhibited the growth of M. phaseolina in the roots. Furthermore, histochemical analyses demonstrated a reduction in oxidative stress, as indicated by decreased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation in ZnO NP-treated plants. These findings highlight the potential of green-synthesized ZnO NPs as an eco-friendly and effective solution to manage disease complex in cowpea caused by simultaneous nematode and fungal infections.

Herein, we investigate the phytogenic synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) by using aqueous extract of seed coat of almond as a novel resource which can acts as a stabilizing and reducing agents. Successful biosynthesis of ZnO-NPs was observed by Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) showing peak at ~272 nm. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques confirm the circular shape with an average size of ~20 nm. Applications of ZnO-NPs were observed on carrot (Daucus carota) plant infected with pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani. Spray with 50 ppm and 100 ppm ZnO-NPs caused significant increase in plant growth attributes and photosynthetic pigments of carrot plants. It has been reported that the synthesized ZnO-NPs demonstrated an inhibitory activity against plant pathogenic fungus R. solani and reduces disease in carrot plants. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy indicated adverse effect of ZnO-NPs on pathogens. Antifungal efficiency of ZnO-NPs was further explained with help of molecular docking analysis. Conformation with highest negative binding energy was used to predict binding site of receptor with NPs to know mechanistic approach. ZnO-NPs are likely to interact with the pathogens by mechanical enfolding which may be one of the major toxicity actions against R. solani by ZnO-NPs. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using waste material from the coat of almond seeds. Images from SEM, TEM, and related techniques like EDS and SAED revealed the irregularity of the ZnO NPs as well as their atom composition. FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed the formation and the presence of crystalline ZnO NPs in nature. Biogenic ZnONPs were found to be effective against the plant pathogenic fungus R. solani. A spray of 50 ppm and 100 ppm ZnO-NPs significantly increased carrot plant growth characteristics and photosynthetic pigments.

If the dose and duration of zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO-NPs) supplementation optimize, low concentrations of Zn nanoparticles can replace conventional Zn sources in diets of different species of fish. Since evaluating the cytotoxicity of any nutritional supplement is one of the requirements for optimizing the dose for a specified time, we conducted this study to investigate the effects of oral administration of ZnO-NPs on oxidative stress and certain biochemical biomarkers in common carp, Cyprinus carpio , as an experimental model. For this purpose, ZnO-NPs were orally administered to fish for 21 days at 0 (control), 5, 10 and 15 mg kg -1 feed. Administration of ZnO-NPs (15 mg kg -1 ) significantly enhanced aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydro-genase (LDH) activities in liver, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and LDH activities in kidney. Dietary ZnO-NPs increased glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity in liver of fish. The results indicated that administration of 10 mg kg -1 and 15 mg kg -1 ZnO-NPs caused a significant increase in ALT and catalase (CAT) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in liver, AST and CAT activities and MDA levels in kidney. ZnO-NPs decreased the liver ALP activity. Administration of 5 mg kg -1 ZnO-NPs significantly increased the cellular total antioxidant (TA) levels in various tissues. Therefore, we suggest that oral administration of 10 and 15 mg kg -1 ZnO NPs caused cytotoxicity and alterations in oxidative biomarkers, but 5 mg ZnO-NPs per kg feed had no side effects on oxidative stress and biochemical biomarkers in fish.

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.

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

Impact of ZnO and ZnS nanoparticles in sewage sludge-amended soil on bacteria, plant and invertebrates

This study investigates the photocatalytic degradation of emerging pollutants (EP) using zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized via green chemistry. It employs Amphipterygium adstringens (Cuachalalate) bark extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. The photocatalytic performance of the synthesized ZnO NPs was evaluated under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation using various model compounds, including the dyes Congo Red (CR), Malachite Green (MG), Rhodamine B (RhB), Methylene Blue (MB), and Methyl Orange (MO), as well as the pharmaceutical contaminants Ibuprofen (IBU), Ciprofloxacin (CIP), and Diclofenac sodium (DCF). Characterization techniques determine the physical, chemical, and electronic properties of ZnO NPs. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy presents an absorbance peak at 371 nm, and the TAUC plots of each spectrum revealed band gaps of 2.948, 2.940, and 2.847 eV for 1%-ZnO NPs, 2%-ZnO NPs, and 4%-ZnO NPs, respectively. At the same time, the obtention vibration bonds through FTIR spectroscopy showed Zn–O stretching vibration at 380 cm⁻1. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows the crystalline structure, with average crystallite sizes of 21.6 nm, 14.19 nm, and 13.26 nm for 1%-ZnO NPs, 2%-ZnO NPs, and 4%-ZnO NPs, respectively. Finally, scanning electronic microscopy showed the morphology, which was spherical with a slight agglomeration of the particles. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the ZnO NPs was approximately 90% for dyes and 85% for drug contaminants. The degradation constant was determined using the equation of first-order kinetics. These promising results highlight the potential of Cuachalalate-derived ZnO NPs for efficiently remedying emerging pollutants and suggest further environmental application research, pollutants and suggest for further research in environmental applications.