Effect of UV Irradiation (A and C) on Casuarina equisetifolia-Mediated Biosynthesis and Characterization of Antimicrobial and Anticancer Activity of Biocompatible Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

Abstract

The green synthesis of nanoparticles has emerged as a simple, safe, sustainable, reliable and eco-friendly protocol. Among different types of NPs, green-synthesized zinc oxide NPs (ZnONPs) show various promising biological uses due to their interesting magnetic, electrical, optical and chemical characteristics. Keeping in view the dependence of the therapeutic efficacy of NPs on their physico-chemical characteristics, the green synthesis of ZnONPs using Casuarina equisetifolia leaf extract under UV-A and UV-C light was carried out in this study. UV-irradiation helped to control the size and morphology of ZnONPs by exciting the electrons in the photoactive compounds of plant extracts to enhance the bio-reduction of ZnO into ZnONPs. C. equisetifolia leaf extract was found enriched with phenolic (2.47 ± 0.12 mg GAE/g DW) and flavonoid content (0.88 ± 0.28 mg QE/g DW) contributing to its 74.33% free-radical scavenging activity. FTIR spectra showed the involvement of polyphenols in the bio-reduction, stabilization and capping of ZnONPs. Moreover, SEM-EDX and XRD analyses showed great potential of UV-C light in yielding smaller (34–39 nm) oval-shaped ZnONPs, whereas UV-A irradiation resulted in the formation of fairly spherical 67–71 nm ZnONPs and control ZnONPs were of mixed shape and even larger size (84–89 nm). Green-synthesized ZnONPs, notably CE-UV-C-ZnONPs, showed promising anti-bacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Moreover, ZnONPs also enhanced ROS production which led to a significant loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and activated caspase-3 gene expression and caspase-3/7 activity in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. CE-UV-C-ZnONP treatment reduced HepG2 cell viability to as low as 36.97% owing to their unique shape and smaller size. Lastly, ZnONPs were found to be highly biocompatible towards brine shrimp and human red blood cells suggesting their bio-safe nature. This research study sheds light on the plausible role of UV radiation in the green synthesis of ZnONPs with reasonable control over their size and morphology, thus improving their biological efficacy.

Green synthesis of biocompatible core–shell (Au–Ag) and hybrid (Au–ZnO and Ag–ZnO) bimetallic nanoparticles and evaluation of their potential antibacterial, antidiabetic, antiglycation and anticancer activities

“…9C was recorded when HepG2 cells were treated with biogenic ZnONPs while we report higher loss of MMP from bimetallic NPs. 13 These ndings shows that bimetallic NPs are highly effective in disrupting MMP especially core-shell Au-Ag BNPs owing to their smaller size.…”

Light-emitting diode (LED)-directed green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and evaluation of their multifaceted clinical and biological activities

“…2.8.3 Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) measurement. The MMP of HepG2 cells treated with the AgNPs was measured using 3,3 0 -dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide (DiOC 6(3) , 98%), as described previously by Khan et al 1 HepG2 cells were incubated in culture medium containing 25 nM DiOC 6(3) for 40 min at 37 C. MMP is expressed as relative uorescent units (RFU).…”

Plant-Based Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles: Production, Characterization and Applications

“…Nanomedicine is the use of nanotechnology in the treatment, screening, and diagnosis of a variety of diseases, including cancer [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 47 ]. It adds complete procedures and effective approaches against cancer through cancer prediction and diagnostics, prevention and medication, as well as possible individualized therapy [ 10 , 12 ].…”

“…Similarly, green AuNPs produced from a Trachyspermum ammi seed extract inhibited cellular growth in HepG2 cancer cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner, which was linked to a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-driven apoptosis [ 37 ]. This mechanism has recently been reported to be potentially connected to mitochondrial action via ROS-induced Caspase-3 gene expression and enzyme activity following mitochondrial membrane potential disruption caused by plant-based NPs [ 11 , 47 ].…”

“…Nanotechnology is a fast-expanding and multidisciplinary field with many applications in science and technology [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. This field combines key concepts from a variety of disciplines, including chemistry, engineering, physics, and biology, in order to provide novel methods for controlling and generating nanoparticles (NPs).…”