Priestia endophytica mediated biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles: characterization, biocompatibility and anticancer activity

The current study focused on biogenic synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using Priestia endophytica and evaluated their potential anticancer activity. The ZnO NPs were characterized by various techniques including Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The optical properties measured using UV spectroscopy showed a peak at 319nm. The FTIR reveals the presence of various functional groups, including Zn–O, C–H, C=O, and C=C and –OH on ZnO NPs. In contrast, XRD indicates the wurtzite hexagonal crystalline structure. SEM images show the spherical or quasi-spherical morphologies with an average size range of 20–70nm with high purity. After successful characterization, the anticancer effects were tested against A549 and HeLa cell lines. Results showed anticancer activity against both cancer cell types, with 50% cell viability at 91.5±1.2 and 127±5.6µg ml⁻¹ for A549 and HeLa cells, respectively. In conclusion, the findings from this study suggest that eco-friendly and biogenic ZnO NPs may offer a promising nanoformulation for cancer treatment.