Cytotoxic and antifungal studies of biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles using extract of Prosopis farcta fruit

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are one of the most widely used mineral particles. These nanoparticles are biocompatible and safe which can be used in medical-related industries. In this study, ZnO NPs were synthesized through an aqueous extract of Prosopis farcta fruit. Biosynthesized nanoparticles were identified through Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis), Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) methods. The results of electron imaging showed that biosynthesized nanoparticles are hexagonal in shape with range size between 40 and 50 nm. Electron spectroscopy results showed that the bandgap of biosynthesized nanoparticles is 3.9 eV. The results of antifungal assay against Candida albicans showed 32–64 and 128–512 µg/ml values for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), respectively. Cytotoxicity of nanoparticles against breast cancer cells (MCF7) was performed using WST-1 assay and its IC50 was obtained 500 μg/ml.