Evaluation of antioxidant and anticancer properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized using Aspergillus niger extract

Abstract

Microorganisms and plants have grabbed great attention as potential biological sources for ecofriendly synthesizing nanoparticles. In this study, zinc nitrate and Aspergillus niger were applied to synthesize stable spherical zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). The FTIR, DLS, SEM, TEM and XRD methods were utilized to characterize the synthesized nanoparticles in terms of structure, morphology, and optic features. Electron microscopic images revealed poly dispersed nanoparticles with the length of 30 to 70 nm. Regarding morphology, the majority of the particles were spherical. Regarding antioxidant capacity, the synthesized ZnO-NPs showed the IC50 of about 1000 μg ml-1. The synthesized ZnO-NPs also induced apoptosis and inhibited cellular growth in neoplastic MCF-7 cells.