Novel Leea grandifolia leaves mediated synthesis of ZnO nanorods for photocatalytic and anticancer applications

The main goal of this study was to use a green-mediated approach for obtaining ZnO nanorods (NRs) using the Leea grandifolia leaf extract. The obtained ZnO NRs were studied using standard methods such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the results revealed a smaller particle size with a high surface area. The scanning electron microscopy and TEM results showed that the obtained particles were having rodlike morphology with size ranging from similar to 20 to similar to 200 nm. The results of the antioxidant and photocatalytic studies showed excellent photodegradation and free radical scavenging. The results of the in vitro toxicological study revealed that the obtained particles were nontoxic to organisms. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assessments concluded that the NR-treated MCF-7 had gone through necrosis and apoptosis. The ZnO NRs revealed excellent antibacterial activity towards various pathogens. It was clear that the green-mediated method could be considered as a better one for the synthesis of ZnO NRs as it imparts excellent anticancer, antibacterial, and photocatalytic properties.

Automated summary

The study utilized Leea grandifolia leaf extract to obtain ZnO nanorods, which exhibited excellent antioxidant, photocatalytic, and antibacterial properties. In vitro toxicological studies showed the nanorods to be non-toxic to organisms and exhibited cytotoxic effects on tumor cells.