Priestia endophytica mediated biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles: characterization, biocompatibility and anticancer activity

Abstract

Aims The current study focuses on biogenic synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using Priestia endophytica and evaluated for their potential anticancer activity.

Methods and results The ZnO NPs characterized by various techniques including Scanning electron microscopy (SEM, UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The optical properties measured using UV spectroscopy exposed a peak at 319 nm. The FTIR reveals the presence of various functional groups including Zn-O C-H, C = O and C = C and -OH on ZnO NPs. Whereas, XRD indicates the wurtzite hexagonal crystalline structure. SEM images show the spherical or quasi-spherical morphologies with an average size range 20–70 nm with high purity. After successful characterization, the anticancer effects were tested against A549 and HeLa cell lines. Results showed anticancer activity against both cancer cells types, with 50% cell viability at 91.5 ± 1.2 and 127 ± 5.6 µg mL−1 for A549 cells and HeLa cells respectively.

Conclusions In conclusion, the findings from this study suggest that eco-friendly and biogenic ZnO NPs may offer a promising nanoformulation for cancer treatment.