Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Dec 20:14:87-100.
doi: 10.2147/IJN.S186888. eCollection 2019.

Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Albizia lebbeck stem bark, and evaluation of its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities on human breast cancer cell lines

Huzaifa Umar  1   2   3 , Doga Kavaz  1   2   3 , Nahit Rizaner  1   2   3
Affiliations

Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Albizia lebbeck stem bark, and evaluation of its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities on human breast cancer cell lines

Huzaifa Umar et al. Int J Nanomedicine. .

Abstract

Background: Biocompatibility 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.

Methods: Characterization 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.

Results: The 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.

Conclusion: Overall, 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.

Keywords: antimicrobial; antioxidant; biocompatibility; biosynthesis; cytotoxic.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Synthesis of ZnO NPs: (A) Albizia lebbeck aqueous extract; (B) ZnO NPs. Abbreviation: ZnO NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
UV–visible spectra of ZnO NPs prepared with various concentrations of zinc nitrate at different (A) incubation time and (B) pH. Abbreviation: ZnO NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Particle size distribution of synthesized ZnO NPs using Albizia lebbeck stem bark extract: (A) 0.1M, (B) 0.05M, and (C) 0.01M. Abbreviation: ZnO NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Figure 4
Figure 4
FTIR spectra of Albizia lebbeck extract and synthesized ZnO NPs using various concentrations of zinc nitrate. Abbreviations: FTIR, Fourier transform infrared; ZnO NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Figure 5
Figure 5
XRD pattern of 0.01M, 0.05M, and 0.1M synthesized ZnO NPs. Abbreviations: XRD, X-ray diffraction; ZnO NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Figure 6
Figure 6
SEM images of ZnO NPs synthesized using Albizia lebbeck stem bark extract: (A) 0.1M, (B) 0.05M, and (C) 0.01M. EDX spectra of the ZnO NPs: (D) 0.1M, (E) 0.05M, and (F) 0.01M. Abbreviations: EDX, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; SEM, scanning electron microscope; ZnO NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles; cps/eV, counts per second per electron-volt.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Zone of inhibition of 0.1M synthesized ZnO NPs compared with extract, zinc nitrate solution, DMSO, and antibiotics: (a) extract, (b) zinc nitrate solution, (c) ZnO NPs, (d) DMSO, and (e) antibiotic (ciprofloxacin). Abbreviations: DMSO, dimethylsulfoxide; ZnO NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Figure 8
Figure 8
H2O2 free radical scavenging activity of the biosynthesized ZnO NPs. Notes: (A) H2O2 free radical scavenging activity of the biosynthesized ZnO NPs. (B) Predicted mechanism of ZnO NPs formation and its H2O2 free radical scavenging activity. Abbreviation: ZnO NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Effect of 0.1M, 0.05M, and 0.01M synthesized ZnO NPs on the (A) viability of MDa-MB 231 cells, (B) viability of McF-7 cells, (C) proliferation of MDa-MB 231 cells, (D) proliferation of McF-7 cells. (E) Typical phase-contrast light-microscopy images obtained from tryphan blue exclusion assay of MDa-MB 231 and (F) McF-7 cell lines. Typical phase-contrast light-microscopy images (20×) of plasma membrane blebs (directed by an arrow) induced by synthesized ZnO NPs on (G) MDA-MB 231 and (H) MCF-7 cell lines (I) Predicted mechanism behind cytotoxic activity of biosynthesized ZnO NPs using A. lebbeck stem bark against breast cancer lines. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.0001. Abbreviation: ZnO NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Effect of 0.1M, 0.05M, and 0.01M synthesized ZnO NPs on the (A) viability of MDa-MB 231 cells, (B) viability of McF-7 cells, (C) proliferation of MDa-MB 231 cells, (D) proliferation of McF-7 cells. (E) Typical phase-contrast light-microscopy images obtained from tryphan blue exclusion assay of MDa-MB 231 and (F) McF-7 cell lines. Typical phase-contrast light-microscopy images (20×) of plasma membrane blebs (directed by an arrow) induced by synthesized ZnO NPs on (G) MDA-MB 231 and (H) MCF-7 cell lines (I) Predicted mechanism behind cytotoxic activity of biosynthesized ZnO NPs using A. lebbeck stem bark against breast cancer lines. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.0001. Abbreviation: ZnO NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Summary of the synthesis and biomedical activity of biosythesized ZnO NPs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Albrecht MA, Evans CW, Raston CL. Green chemistry and the health implications of nanoparticles. Green Chem. 2006;8(5):417–432.
    1. Xu D, Liu M, Zou H, et al. A new strategy for fabrication of water dispersible and biodegradable fluorescent organic nanoparticles with AIE and ESIPT characteristics and their utilization for bioimaging. Talanta. 2017;174:803–808. - PubMed
    1. Hassan HF, Mansour AM, Abo-Youssef AM, Elsadek BE, Messiha BA. Zinc oxide nanoparticles as a novel anticancer approach; in vitro and in vivo evidence. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2017;44(2):235–243. - PubMed
    1. Nirmala M, Anukaliani A. Synthesis and characterization of undoped and TM (Co, Mn) doped ZnO nanoparticles. Mater Lett. 2011;65(17–18):2645–2648.
    1. Thapa A, Soares AC, Soares JC, et al. Carbon nanotube matrix for highly sensitive biosensors to detect pancreatic cancer biomarker CA19-9. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2017;9(31):25878–25886. - PubMed

MeSH terms