Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of Banana Stem Mediated Copper Nanoparticles : An In vitro Study

Abstract

Background: Musa sapientum, commonly known as banana, is an herbaceous plant of the Musaceae family. Copper-based nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) enhance the scavenging capacity of various antioxidants and improve the treatment of ROS-related diseases. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant activity of banana stem mediated copper nanoparticles.
 Materials and Methods: Banana stems weighing 200 grams were cut into small pieces. These fragments were powdered and mixed with 200 cc of sterile distilled water in a blender. CuCl2H2O (0.5 mmol, 5 mL) was applied to ethanol, and the reaction mixture was allowed to react with 1 M NaOH while stirring. Cu-Nps and the prepared banana stem extract were mixed together. The DPPH assay was used to investigate the antioxidant activity of banana stem mediated Cu-Nps. The percent inhibition values were determined using the formula after the absorbance values were measured with a UV spectrophotometer.
 Results: At the highest concentration used in the study, the antioxidant activity of banana stem mediated Cu-Nps was 88.10 percent and that of vitamin C was 92.15 percent. This demonstrated that Cu- Nps mediated by banana stems have a concentration-dependent antioxidant effect.
 Conclusion: The antioxidant activity of banana stem mediated Cu- Nps tested here was higher than the standard antioxidant drug vitamin c in lower concentration. In higher concentration, vitamin c standard showed higher antioxidant activity.