Bioinspired synthesize of CuO nanoparticles using Cylindrospermum stagnale for antibacterial, anticancer and larvicidal applications

Biologically synthesized metal-oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are in focus for their multifarious applications. In the current study, the green synthesis of copper oxide NPs (CuO NPs) is achieved using the fresh biomass of Cylindrospermum stagnale after its molecular characterization. Physical characterization of CuO NPs by several analytical techniques including UV-Vis analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM and TEM microscopy revealed spherical shaped crystalline CuO-NPs capped by functional groups of cyanobacterium biomolecules with slight aggregation. CuO NPs were found significantly antimicrobial against pathogens with MICs of 1.5, 2.4, 1.7, 2.5, and 0.6 mM against Candida albicans, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, respectively. Moreover, cyanobacterium-capped CuO NPs were cytotoxic against HepG2 cell line and effective against larvae of Aedes ageypti, Anopheles subpictus Grassi and Culex quinquefasciatus. The synthesized CuO NPs were effective due to their high surface area and fairly small size 12.21 nm. Due to adequate biological activities of cyanobacterium CuO NPs even at lower concentrations, we prospect these NPs for clinical applications.

Automated summary

In this study, copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were successfully synthesized using fresh biomass of Cylindrospermum stagnale, demonstrating significant antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and insecticidal activities. The CuO NPs showed strong efficacy at low concentrations due to their small size and high surface area, suggesting potential for clinical applications.