Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles and evaluation of anticancer activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cell line via phyto-synthesised nanoparticles.

The present research work aims to biosynthesize ZnO nanoparticles using plant-mediated extracts (A. marmleos, A. indica and a mixture of both extracts) and to evaluate their physiochemical properties and associated biological activities. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed that the majority of ZnO nanoparticles were spherical, uniformly distributed, and exhibited an average size within the nanometer scale. Photosynthesised ZnO NPs were characterized with particular emphasis on zeta potential, a key parameter influencing nanoparticle stability and biological interactions and its correlation with cytotoxic efficiency. Anticancer potential was assessed in vitro against the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line, revealing dose-dependent inhibition of cancer cell proliferation with IC50 values closely associative reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial membrane disruption, and induction of apoptosis. The nanoparticle demonstrated significantly antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and indicated potential antioxidant properties through the scavenging of DPPH and H2O2, attributed to bioactive plant-derived surface capping agents. The finding indicates a significant correlation between the surface characteristics of nanoparticles and their biological efficiency. This indicates that ZnO NPs synthesised from plant extracts may have potential applications in various biomedical applications.