Antiproliferative activity of zinc oxide-silver nanocomposite interlinked with Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. fruit extract against cancer cells and bacteria

The present study reports the extract-mediated synthesis of ZnO and ZnO/Ag samples using Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. fruit extract. The morphology, microstructure, purity, compositional, structural, and optical characteristics of the fabricated materials were analyzed by various tools. The signature XRD peaks of ZnO and Ag were identified in the patterns and the sizes of the corresponding counterparts were calculated in the EXT/ZnO/Ag10 nanocomposite. As per BET results, the surface areas of the ZnO samples fabricated in water (W/ZnO), fruit extract (EXT/ZnO), and nanocomposite of Ag (EXT/ZnO/Ag10) were 29.3, 27.5, and 25.5 m(2)g(-1), respectively. The TGA, UV-vis DRS, FT-IR, and EDX analyses explored the integration of the phytochemicals of the studied extract over the prepared samples. Subsequently, the antibacterial, DNA cleavage, and anticancer activities of the samples were, respectively, assessed against S. aureus and E. coli bacteria (using colony forming unit method) and on the MCF-7 cell line (using MTT assay). Among the prepared samples, EXT/ZnO/Ag10 nanocomposite showed superior antibacterial and anticancer activities. The synergistic action of ZnO, Ag, and extract biomolecules of the green-synthesized EXT/ZnO/Ag10 sample against bacteria and cancer cells were thereby suggested. This study introduces a safe and effective bioagent to employ against bacterial and cancerous cells.

Automated summary

The study successfully synthesized zinc oxide and zinc oxide/silver samples using Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. fruit extract, and analyzed the characteristics of the fabricated materials through various tools. The antibacterial and anticancer activities of these samples were demonstrated, with the EXT/ZnO/Ag10 nanocomposite showing superior performance. The synergistic effects of ZnO, Ag, and extract biomolecules in the green-synthesized sample were suggested for combating bacteria and cancer cells.