Comparative study of zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized through biogenic and chemical route with reference to antibacterial, antibiofilm and anticancer activities

The present focused on comparative study on synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using chemical method via alkaline precipitation method (ZnO(A) NPs) using NaOH and biogenic method using termite mound extract (ZnO(B) NPs). GC-MS analysis revealed that D-limonene present in termite mound extract might be responsible for the synthesis of ZnO(B) NPs. XRD patterns confirmed hexagonal crystalline structure of ZnO(A) and (B) NPs. Results of antibacterial activity illustrated that ZnO(B) NPs showed its potential against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ESBL-1, ESBL-2 and EBSL-3. Antibiofilm studies revealed that ZnO(B) NPs exhibited optimum decline in MRSA biofilm formation than ZnO(A) NPs. In addition, ZnO(B) NPs showed potent cytotoxic effect against lung cancer cell lines A549 with IC50 of 35.16 +/- 0.10 mu g/mL in comparison with ZnO(A) NPs (IC50-55.09 +/- 0.30 mu g/mL). Overall, the results revealed that biogenic synthesis of ZnO NPs ensures its biosafety level and enhanced bio-logical activity when compared to chemical synthesis method.

Automated summary

This study compared the differences in the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using chemical method and biogenic method. GC-MS analysis suggested that D-limonene in termite mound extract may be responsible for the synthesis of ZnO(B) NPs. XRD patterns confirmed the hexagonal crystalline structure of ZnO(A) and (B) NPs. The results showed that ZnO(B) NPs exhibited potential antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ESBL-1, ESBL-2, and EBSL-3. Furthermore, ZnO(B) NPs showed a stronger cytotoxic effect on lung cancer cell lines A549 compared to ZnO(A) NPs. Overall, the biogenic synthesis of ZnO NPs ensures biosafety and enhanced biological activity compared to chemical synthesis.