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The unique properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) produced using plant extract make them attractive for use in medical as well as industrial applications, and it is necessary to develop environmentally friendly methods for their synthesis. This can be accomplished by replacing the traditional chemical compounds for the reduction of the zinc ions to ZnO-NPs during synthesis with natural plant extracts. Here, the biosynthesis of ZnO-NPs using Punica granatum (P. granatum) fruit peels extract was investigated as the reducing and stabilizing agent. The P. granatum /ZnO-NPs with spherical and hexagonal shapes were biosynthesized at different annealing temperatures. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the synthesis of highly pure ZnO-NPs with increasing crystallinity in higher annealing temperatures. The ZnO-NPs displayed characteristic absorption peaks between 370 and 378 nm in the UV–vis spectra. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging showed the formation of mostly spherical and hexagonal-shaped ZnO-NPs in the mean size of 32.98 nm and 81.84 nm at 600 °C and 700 °C respectively. According to FTIR spectrum, strong absorption bands in the range of 462–487 cm−1 corresponding to Zn O bond stretching can be seen. Antibacterial activities of P. granatum /ZnO-NPs against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) were investigated and compared. Results obtained show that smaller-sized P. granatum /ZnO-NPs are more effective in inhibiting growth of both bacteria. In addition, cytotoxicity assays were performed for P. granatum /ZnO-NPs against human colon normal and cancerous cells. P. granatum /ZnO-NPs exhibited similar killing activities of both cell lines at the concentration of ≥31.25 μg/mL. The biosynthesized ZnO-NPs could offer potential applications in bio-medical field. Image 1 • ZnO nanoparticles were prepared using Punica granatum fruit peels extract by sol-gel and thermal decomposition methods. • The ZnO-NPs were characterized by XRD, UV–visible spectroscopy, TEM, FESEM, and FTIR. • P. granatum /ZnO-NPs exhibited excellent antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique properties of gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) produce in plant extract make them attractive for use in medical and industrial applications, it is necessary to develop environmentally friendly methods for their synthesis. This can be accomplished by replacing the traditional chemical compounds for the reduction of the gold ions to Au-NPs during synthesis with natural plant extracts or with plasmas atmospheric pressure. Here, the biosynthesis of Au-NPs using the Juglans regia ( J. regia ) green husk extract was investigated as the reducing and stabilizing agent. The formation of Au-NPs was initially monitored by visual observation and then characterized with the help of various characterization techniques. UV–vis spectroscopy results showed that Au-NPs synthesized using moderate temperature have a blue shifting, good distribution and smaller size compare with Au-NPs fabricated in room temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed the distinctive formation of the crystalline structure of Au-NPs with a spherical shape. According to transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the mean diameter and standard deviation of Au-NPs at room and moderate temperatures were 19.19 ± 4.7 and 14.32 ± 3.24 nm, respectively. The result of Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) are in good agreement with each other and confirm that by using the moderate temperature compare to the room temperature the yield of reaction increased. Based on the zeta potential result, Au-NPs has sufficient value for the stability of the solution. According to FTIR spectrum, the J. regia would be coated on the gold ions surface in a successful manner. The non-toxic effect of Au-NPs concentration below 250 μg/ml was observed in the studies of in vitro cytotoxicity on normal and cancerous cell lines, respectively. The dose-dependent toxicity made it a suitable candidate for various medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoemulsions (NEs) as multi-compartmentalized systems are extensively considered as versatile drug delivery systems, due to their multifunctional and tuneable physicochemical properties. Here, water-in-oil-in-water (WOW) NEs were formulated using Juglans regia -based Fe 3 O 4 /Au-core-shell nanoparticles to encapsulate 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) for potential colorectal cancer treatment. Response surface methodology, FTIR, TGA, TEM, DLS, VSM, UV-vis spectroscopy, and viscosity measurements were used to characterize the fabricated samples. The analysis confirmed the successful synthesis of Au, Fe 3 O 4 , and Fe 3 O 4 /Au core-shell nanoparticles with the Juglans regia (J. regia) extract as a green stabilizer and also reducing agent. The NE displayed a spherical-shape and TEM size of~30 nm. It also exhibited good colloidal stability and multifunctional features related to its components. TGA data indicated that 5-FU increased thermal stability after its loading into the nanoemulsion as a drug carrier. 5-FU release from the NE carrier presented a time-delayed behavior and higher release dosage in media at pH 4 compared to pH 7 within 48 h. When tested against colorectal-derived cell lines, 0.78 µg/mL of 5-FU-loaded Fe 3 O 4 /Au core-shell NEs showed potent anticancer activity against HCT116 cancerous cells, while exhibiting low toxicity towards CCD112 normal cells. In conclusion, the synthesized 5-FU-loaded NEs can be potently used as an anticancer drug carrier model, owing to its nano-scale size and other functionalities, which should be further studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are increasingly being studied for potential anticancer application to circumvent off-target cytotoxicity and other side effects from conventional chemotherapy. In this study, four different weight% of Punica granatum fruit peel extract were used as green stabilizers to synthesize IONPs followed by a series of characterization experiments and in vitro anticancer evaluation. Results revealed that all synthesized IONPs have high degree of crystallinity and purity. The optimum saturation magnetization, and hydrodynamic size were found to be ∼69 emu.g−1, and 26.52 nm, respectively. Morphological studies demonstrated that adding peel extract decreased size of NPs with the average particle size below 11 nm. Cytotoxicity assay showed that the IONPs were not reactive (IC 50 > 250 μg/ml) against colon (HCT116), breast (MCF7), cervical (HeLa) and lung (A549) cancer cell lines and two normal cell lines derived from human colon and kidney (CCD112 and HEK293). Specifically, IONPs with 2 and 4 wt% of peel extract displayed potent anticancer activities (IC 50 of 197.46 and 85.06 μg/ml respectively) against nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell line, HONE1. Overall, this study shows the characterization of green synthesized IONPs and its potential use as anticancer therapeutic agents against NPC cells. • Punica Granatum fruit peel extract as a reducing agent to synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles. • Physicochemical analysis of the iron oxide nanoparticles and the extract. • Cytotoxic effects of the iron oxide nanoparticles and the extract on HCT116, HONE1, CCD112, and HEK293 cell line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]