BackgroundBiocompatibility and stability of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized using plants is an interesting research area of study in nanotechnology, due to its wide applications in biomedical, industrial, cell imaging, and biosensor fields. The present study reports the novel green synthesis of stable ZnO NPs using various concentrations of zinc nitrate (0.01M, 0.05M, 0.1M) and Albizia lebbeck stem bark extracts as an efficient chelating agent. Antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antiproliferative activities of the synthesized NPs on human breast cancer cell lines were evaluated using different assays.MethodsCharacterization of the synthesized ZnO NPs were carried out using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Antimicrobial activity evaluation using disc diffusion method, antioxidant activity using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) free radical scavenging assay and cytotoxic activity on MDA-MB 231 and MCF-7 using tryphan blue dye exclusion and MTT assay.ResultsThe UV–vis spectroscopy result revealed an absorption peak in the range of 370 nm. The involvements of A. lebbeck bioactive compounds in the stabilization of the ZnO NPs were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared analysis. Zeta sizer studies showed an average size of 66.25 nm with a polydisparity index of 0.262. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses results revealed irregular spherical morphology and the presence of primarily Zn, C, O, Na, P, and K, respectively. The biosynthesized ZnO NPs revealed strong antimicrobial potentials against various gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial pathogens. Antioxidant activities carried out using H2O2 free radical scavenging assay revealed higher IC50 values of 48.5, 48.7, and 60.2 µg/mL for 0.1M, 0.05M, and 0.01M ZnO NPs, respectively. Moreover, the biosynthesized ZnO NPs showed significant cytotoxic effects on MDA-MB 231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines (P< 0.001, n≥3) in a concentration-dependent manner.ConclusionOverall, various concentrations of ZnO NPs were synthesized through a stable, simple, and eco-friendly green route via the use of A. lebbeck stem bark extract. The biosynthesized ZnO NPs showed strong antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activity against strongly and weakly metastatic breast cancer cell lines.

Cancer incidence is still increasing due to inadequate responsive treatments. Inertness and biocompatibility of nanoparticles synthesized using plant extracts have shown therapeutic applications and make it to be a good anti-cancer candidates. This study is a recent novel spotlight that synthesized silver nanoparticle from Ficus ingens leaf extract (FILE) and studied its anti-metastatic and anti-bacterial activity. The chemical and surface analysis of the synthesized FILE silver nanoparticles (FILE-AgNPs) was studied using UV-visible, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta sizer, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Gas chromatography mass spectrometric (GC-MS) and quantitative photochemical analyses were also carried out. The antimicrobial activity of FILE-AgNPs was found to be effective with MIC of 10 mg/mL for E. coli and 20 mg/mL for S. typhi and B. cereus with significance difference. Toxicity, proliferation and antimetastatic potential of FILE-AgNPs were studied on MDA-MB 231 cell models using tryphan blue, MTT and wound heal assay, respectively. FILE-AgNPs showed the ability to inhibit metastasis of MDA-MB 231 cells in dose-dependent manner in which 10 lg/mL and 5 lg/mL inhibit by 96% and 75%, respectively. The synthesized FILE-AgNPs are remarkable candidates for treatment of cancer cases and other cancer related cases.

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Nano-based particles synthesized via green routes have a particular structure that is useful in biomedical applications as they provide cheap, eco-friendly, and non-toxic nanoparticles. In the present study, we reported the effect of various concentrations of Zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized using A. lebbeck stem bark extract (ZnO NPsAL) as stabilizing agent on rat biochemical profiles and tissue morphology. Adult Wistar rats weighing 170 ± 5 g were randomly classified into eight groups of five rats each; Group A served as a control fed with normal diet and water. Groups B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, and E were treated with 40 mg/kg and 80 mg/kg of the 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 M biosynthesized ZnO NPsAL and zinc nitrate daily by the gavage method, respectively. The rats were anesthetized 24 h after the last treatment, blood samples, kidney, heart, and liver tissues were collected for biochemical and histopathological analysis. The rats mean body weight, serum alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, urea, bilirubin, protein, albumin, globulin, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and high-density lipoprotein were significantly altered with an increased concentration of biosynthesized ZnO NPsAL when compared with the control group (p < 0.05; n ≥ 5). Furthermore, histopathological analysis of treated rats’ kidney, heart, and liver tissue revealed vascular congestion, tubular necrosis, inflammation, and cytoplasmic vacuolation. Biosynthesized ZnO NPsAL showed significant alteration in biochemical parameters and tissue morphology in rats with increasing concentrations of the nanoparticles.

Breast cancer is a common cancer affecting women worldwide, and it progresses from breast tissue to other parts of the body through a process called metastasis. Albizia lebbeck is a valuable plant with medicinal properties due to some active biological macromolecules, and it’s cultivated in subtropical and tropical regions of the world. This study reports the phytochemical compositions, the cytotoxic, anti-proliferative and anti-migratory potential of A. lebbeck methanolic (ALM) extract on strongly and weakly metastatic MDA-MB 231 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, respectively. Furthermore, we employed and compared an artificial neural network (ANN), an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and multilinear regression analysis (MLR) to predict cell migration on the treated cancer cells with various concentrations of the extract using our experimental data. Lower concentrations of the ALM extract (10, 5 & 2.5 μg/mL) showed no significant effect. Higher concentrations (25, 50, 100 & 200 μg/mL) revealed a significant effect on the cytotoxicity and proliferation of the cells when compared with the untreated group (p < 0.05; n ≥ 3). Furthermore, the extract revealed a significant decrease in the motility index of the cells with increased extract concentrations (p < 0.05; n ≥ 3). The comparative study of the models observed that both the classical linear MLR and AI-based models could predict metastasis in MDA-MB 231 and MCF-7 cells. Overall, various ALM extract concentrations showed promising an-metastatic potential in both cells, with increased concentration and incubation period. The outcomes of MLR and AI-based models on our data revealed the best performance. They will provide future development in assessing the anti-migratory efficacies of medicinal plants in breast cancer metastasis.