A facile and cost-effective hydrothermal followed by precipitation method is employed to synthesize visible light-driven ZnS-Ag ternary composites supported on carbon aerogel (CA). Extensive studies were conducted on the structural, morphological, and optical properties, confirming the successful formation of ternary nanocomposites. The obtained results evidently demonstrate the successful loading of ZnS and Ag onto the surface of the CA. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that ZnS and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were uniformly distributed on the surface of the CA with an average diameter of 18 nm. The biomass-derived CA, containing a hierarchical porous nano-architecture and an abundant number of -NH2 functional groups on the surface, can greatly prevent the agglomeration, stability and reduce particle size. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis results indicated specific surface areas of 4.62 m2 g-1 for the CA, 48.50 m2 g-1 for the CA/ZnS composite, and 62.62 m2 g-1 for the CA/ZnS-Ag composite. These values demonstrate an increase in surface area upon the incorporation of ZnS and Ag into the CA matrix. Under visible light irradiation, the synthesized CA/ZnS-Ag composites displayed remarkably improved photodegradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB). Among the tested samples, the CA/ZnS-Ag composites exhibited the highest percentage of photodegradation efficiency, surpassing ZnS, CA, and CA/ZnS. The obtained percentages of degradation efficiency for CA, ZnS, CA/ZnS, and CA/ZnS-Ag composites were determined as 26.60%, 52.12%, 68.39%, and 98.64%, respectively. These results highlight the superior photocatalytic performance of the CA/ZnS-Ag composites in the degradation of MB under visible light conditions. The superior efficiency of the CA/ZnS-Ag composite can be attributed to multiple factors, including its elevated specific surface area, inhibition of electron-hole pair recombination, and enhanced photon absorption within the visible light spectrum. The CA/ZnS-Ag composites displayed consistent efficiency over multiple cycles, confirming their stable performance, reusability, and enduring durability, thereby showcasing the robust nature of this composite material.
Since the establishment of the first global refinery in 1856, crude oil has remained one of the most lucrative natural resources worldwide. However, during the extraction process from reservoirs, crude oil gets contaminated with sediments, water, and other impurities. The presence of pressure, shear forces, and surface-active compounds in crude oil leads to the formation of unwanted oil/water emulsions. These emulsions can take the form of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions, where water droplets disperse continuously in crude oil, or oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, where crude oil droplets are suspended in water. To prevent the spread of water and inorganic salts, these emulsions need to be treated and eliminated. In existing literature, different demulsification procedures have shown varying outcomes in effectively treating oil/water emulsions. The observed discrepancies have been attributed to various factors such as temperature, salinity, pH, droplet size, and emulsifier concentrations. It is crucial to identify the most effective demulsification approach for oil/water separation while adhering to environmental regulations and minimizing costs for the petroleum sector. Therefore, this study aims to explore and review recent advancements in two popular demulsification techniques: chemical demulsification and magnetic nanoparticles-based (MNP) demulsification. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique are assessed, with the magnetic approach emerging as the most promising due to its desirable efficiency and compliance with environmental and economic concerns. The findings of this report are expected to have a significant impact on the overall process of separating oil and water, benefiting the oil and gas industry, as well as other relevant sectors in achieving the circular economy.
Olive trees are one of the most widely cultivated fruit trees in the world. The chemical compositions and biological activities of olive tree fruit and leaves have been extensively researched for their nutritional and health-promoting properties. In contrast, limited data have been reported on olive flowers. The present study aimed to analyse bioactive compounds in olive flower extracts and the effect of fermentation-assisted extraction on phenolic content and antioxidant activity. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) hyphenated with the bioassay-guided detection and spectroscopic identification of bioactive compounds was used for the analysis. Enzymatic and bacterial in situ bioassays were used to detect COX-1 enzyme inhibition and antibacterial activity. Multiple zones of antibacterial activity and one zone of COX-1 inhibition were detected in both, non-fermented and fermented, extracts. A newly developed HPTLC-based experimental protocol was used to measure the high-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) for the assessment of the relative potency of the extracts in inhibiting COX-1 enzyme and antibacterial activity. Strong antibacterial activities detected in zones 4 and 7 were significantly higher in comparison to ampicillin, as confirmed by low IC50 values (IC50 = 57-58 µg in zone 4 and IC50 = 157-167 µg in zone 7) compared to the ampicillin IC50 value (IC50 = 495 µg). The COX-1 inhibition by the extract (IC50 = 76-98 µg) was also strong compared to that of salicylic acid (IC50 = 557 µg). By comparing the locations of the bands to coeluted standards, compounds from detected bioactive bands were tentatively identified. The eluates from bioactive HPTLC zones were further analysed by FTIR NMR, and LC-MS spectroscopy. Multiple zones of antibacterial activity were associated with the presence of triterpenoid acids, while COX-1 inhibition was related to the presence of long-chain fatty acids.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are critical environmental concerns due to their intrinsic toxic aromatic nature and concomitant circumstances that potentially harm the ecological and human health. In this study, converting mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) pericarps to value-added biochar by pyrolysis for evaluating the potential formation/destruction of biochar-bound PAHs was studied for the first time. This study designed and optimized the thermal processing conditions at 300-900 °C in the CO2 or N2 atmosphere, and heteroatoms (N, O, B, NB, and NS) were modified for mahogany pericarps biochar (MPBC) production. The MPBC500 exhibited significantly higher pyrolysis products of PAHs (2780 ± 38 ng g-1) than that of MPBC900 (78 ± 6 ng g-1) under N2 without introducing modified elements. Specifically, the inhibition capacity of MPBC500 for PAHs under CO2 was improved most efficiently by the active nitrogen species of the pyridinic N and pyrrolic N groups. The pyrolysis conditions and heteroatom modification of MPBC altered its physicochemical properties, that is, aromaticity and hydrophobicity, affecting the PAH concentration and composition in the pyrolysis products. This study reveals sustainable approaches to reduce the environmental footprint of biochar by focusing on increases in PAHs pollution in sustainable biochar produced from a low-carbon bioeconomy perspective.
Objective. Gold nanorods (GNRs) have emerged as versatile nanoparticles with unique properties, holding promise in various modalities of cancer treatment through drug delivery and photothermal therapy. In the rapidly evolving field of nanoparticle radiosensitization (NPRS) for cancer therapy, this study assessed the potential of gold nanorods as radiosensitizing agents by quantifying the key features of NPRS, such as secondary electron emission and dose enhancement, using Monte Carlo simulations.Approach. Employing the TOPAS track structure code, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the radiosensitization behavior of spherical gold nanoparticles and gold nanorods. We systematically explored the impact of nanorod geometry (in particular size and aspect ratio) and orientation on secondary electron emission and deposited energy ratio, providing validated results against previously published simulations.Main results. Our findings demonstrate that gold nanorods exhibit comparable secondary electron emission to their spherical counterparts. Notably, nanorods with smaller surface-area-to-volume ratios (SA:V) and alignment with the incident photon beam proved to be more efficient radiosensitizing agents, showing superiority in emitted electron fluence. However, in the microscale, the deposited energy ratio (DER) was not markedly influenced by the SA:V of the nanorod. Additionally, our findings revealed that the geometry of gold nanoparticles has a more significant impact on the emission of M-shell Auger electrons (with energies below 3.5 keV) than on higher-energy electrons.Significance. This research investigated the radiosensitization properties of gold nanorods, positioning them as promising alternatives to the more conventionally studied spherical gold nanoparticles in the context of cancer research. With increasing interest in multimodal cancer therapy, our findings have the potential to contribute valuable insights into the perspective of gold nanorods as effective multipurpose agents for synergistic photothermal therapy and radiotherapy. Future directions may involve exploring alternative metallic nanorods as well as further optimizing the geometry and coating materials, opening new possibilities for more effective cancer treatments.
The potential of ultrasonication-driven molecular self-assembly of whey protein isolate (WPI) with chitosan (CS)/chitooligosaccharide (COS) to stabilize Pickering emulsions was examined, based on CS/COS ligands-induced partial unfolding in remodeling the Pickering particles features. Multi-spectral analysis suggested obvious changes in conformational structures of WPI due to interaction with CS/COS, with significantly higher unfolding degrees of WPI induced by COS. Non-covalent interactions were identified as the major forces for WPI-CS/COS conjugates. Ultrasonication enhanced electrostatic interaction between CS's -NH3 groups and WPI's -COO- groups which improved emulsification activity and storability of WPI-COS stabilized Pickering emulsion. This was attributed to increased surface hydrophobicity and decreased particle size compared to WPI-CS associated with differential unfolding degrees induced by different saccharide ligands. CLSM and SEM consistently observed smaller emulsion droplets in WPI-COS complexes than WPI-CS/COS particles tightly adsorbed at the oil-water interface. The electrostatic self-assembly of WPI with CS/COS greatly enhanced the encapsulation efficiency of quercetin than those stabilized by WPI alone and ultrasound further improved encapsulation efficiency. This corresponded well with the quantitative affinity parameters between quercetin and WPI-CS/COS complexes. This investigation revealed the great potential of glycan ligands-induced conformational transitions of extrinsic physical disruption in tuning Pickering particle features.
Three undescribed (1-3) and nine known (4-12) platanosides were isolated and characterized from a bioactive extract of the May leaves of Platanus × acerifolia that initially showed inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus. Targeted compound mining was guided by an LC-MS/MS-based molecular ion networking (MoIN) strategy combined with conventional isolation procedures from a unique geographic location. The novel structures were mainly determined by 2D NMR and computational (NMR/ECD calculations) methods. Compound 1 is a rare acylated kaempferol rhamnoside possessing a truxinate unit. 6 (Z,E-platanoside) and 7 (E,E-platanoside) were confirmed to have remarkable inhibitory effects against both methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MIC: ≤ 16 μg/mL) and glycopeptide-resistant Enterococcus faecium (MIC: ≤ 1 μg/mL). These platanosides were subjected to docking analyses against FabI (enoyl-ACP reductase) and PBP1/2 (penicillin binding protein), both of which are pivotal enzymes governing bacterial growth but not found in the human host. The results showed that 6 and 7 displayed superior binding affinities towards FabI and PBP2. Moreover, surface plasmon resonance studies on the interaction of 1/7 and FabI revealed that 7 has a higher affinity (KD = 1.72 μM), which further supports the above in vitro data and is thus expected to be a novel anti-antibacterial drug lead.
Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is regarded as deleterious to the environment, primarily owing to the substantial volume of waste it produces during palm oil extraction. In terms of contaminant composition, POME surpasses the pollutant content typically found in standard municipal sewage, therefore releasing it without treatment into water bodies would do irreparable damage to the environment. Main palm oil mills are normally located in the proximity of natural rivers in order to take advantage of the cheap and abundant water source. The same rivers are also used as a water source for many villages situated along the river banks. As such, it is imperative to degrade POME before its disposal into the water bodies for obvious reasons. The treatment methods used so far include the biological processes such as open ponding/land application, which consist of aerobic as well as anaerobic ponds, physicochemical treatment including membrane technology, adsorption and coagulation are successful for the mitigation of contaminants. As the above methods require large working area and it takes more time for contaminant degradation, and in consideration of the strict environmental policies as well as palm oil being the most sort of vegetable oil in several countries, numerous researchers have concentrated on the emerging technologies such as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to remediate POME. Methods such as the photocatalysis, Fenton process, sonocatalysis, sonophotocatalysis, ozonation have attained special importance for the degradation of POME because of their efficiency in complete mineralization of organic pollutants in situ. This review outlines the AOP technologies currently available for the mineralization of POME with importance given to sonophotocatalysis and ozonation as these treatment process removes the need to transfer the pollutant while possibly degrading the organic matter sufficiently to be used in other industry like fertilizer manufacturing.
As a natural raw material to replace synthetic chemicals, cellulose and its derivatives are the most popular choices in the pharmaceutical industry. For drug delivery applications, cellulose is usually used as a cellulose nanocrystal (CNC). CNC-based hydrogels are widely utilized for drug delivery because drug molecules can be encapsulated in their pore-like structures. This study aims to develop CNC hydrogels for the delivery of doripenem antibiotics. CNC was obtained from jackfruit peel extraction, and alginate was used as a network polymer to produce hydrogels. Ionotropic gelation was used in the synthesis of CNC-alginate hydrogel composites. The maximum adsorption of doripenem by CNC was 65.7 mg/g, while the maximum adsorption by CNC-alginate was 98.4 mg/g. One of the most challenging aspects of drug delivery is predicting drug release from a solid matrix using simple and complex mathematical equations. The sigmoidal equation could represent the doripenem release from CNC, while the Ritger-Peppas equation could describe the doripenem release from CNC-Alginate. The biocompatibility testing of CNC and CNC-alginate against a 7F2 cell line indicates that both materials were non-toxic.
This work reports silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) supported on biopolymer carboxymethyl cellulose beads (Ag-CMC) serves as an efficient catalyst in the reduction process of p-nitrophenol (p-NP) and methyl orange (MO). For Ag-CMC synthesis, first CMC beads were prepared by crosslinking the CMC solution in aluminium nitrate solution and then the CMC beads were introduced into AgNO3 solution to adsorb Ag ions. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis suggests the uniform distribution of Ag nanoparticles on the CMC beads. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the metallic and fcc planes of AgNPs, respectively, in the Ag-CMC catalyst. The Ag-CMC catalyst exhibits remarkable reduction activity for the p-NP and MO dyes with the highest rate constant (kapp) of a chemical reaction is 0.519 and 0.697 min-1, respectively. Comparative reduction studies of Ag-CMC with CMC, Fe-CMC and Co-CMC disclosed that Ag-CMC containing AgNPs is an important factore in reducing the organic pollutants like p-NP and MO dyes. During the recyclability tests, the Ag-CMC also maintained high reduction activity, which suggests that CMC protects the AgNPs from leaching during dye reduction reactions.
Tyrosinase is a key enzyme in enzymatic browning, causing quality losses in food through the oxidation process. Thus, the discovery of an effective and natural tyrosinase inhibitor via green technology is of great interest to the global food market due to food security and climate change issues. In this study, Syzygium aqueum (S. aqueum) leaves, which are known to be rich in phenolic compounds (PC), were chosen as a natural source of tyrosinase inhibitor, and the effect of the sustainable, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) process was evaluated. Response surface methodology-assisted supercritical fluid extraction (RSM-assisted SFE) was utilized to optimize the PCs extracted from S. aqueum. The highest amount of PC was obtained at the optimum conditions (55 °C, 3350 psi, and 70 min). The IC50 (661.815 μg/mL) of the optimized extract was evaluated, and its antioxidant activity (96.8 %) was determined. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) results reveal that 2',6'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxychalcone (2,6-D4MC) (82.65 %) was the major PC in S. aqueum. Chemometric analysis indicated that 2,6-D4MC has similar chemical properties to the tyrosinase inhibitor control (kaempferol). The toxicity and physiochemical properties of the novel 2,6-D4MC from S. aqueum revealed that the 2,6-D4MC is safer than kaempferol as predicted via absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) evaluation. Enzyme kinetic analysis shows that the type of inhibition of the optimized extract is non-competitive inhibition with Km = 1.55 mM and Vmax = 0.017 μM/s. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis shows the effectiveness of S. aqueum as a tyrosinase inhibitor. The mechanistic insight of the tyrosinase inhibition using 2,6-D4MC was successfully calculated using density functional theory (DFT) and molecular docking approaches. The findings could have a significant impact on food security development by devising a sustainable and effective tyrosinase inhibitor from waste by-products that is aligned with the United Nation's SDG 2, zero hunger.
Herein, a natural material including chitosan (CTS) and algae (food-grade algae, FGA) was exploited to attain a bio-adsorbent (CTS/FGA) for enhanced methyl violet 2B dye removal. A study of the FGA loading into CTS matrix showed that the best mixing ratio between CTS and FGA to be used for the MV 2B removal was 50 %:50 % (CTS/FGA; 50:50 w/w). The present study employed the Box-Behnken design (RSM-BBD) to investigate the impact of three processing factors, namely CTS/FGA-(50:50) dose (0.02-0.1 g/100 mL), pH of solution (4-10), and contact time (5-15 min) on the decolorization rate of MV 2B dye. The results obtained from the equilibrium and kinetic experiments indicate that the adsorption of MV 2B dye on CTS/FGA-(50:50) follows the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, respectively. The CTS/FGA exhibits an adsorption capacity of 179.8 mg/g. The characterization of CTS/FGA-(50:50) involves the proposed mechanism of MV 2B adsorption, which primarily encompasses various interactions such as electrostatic forces, n-π stacking, and H-bonding. The present study demonstrates that CTS/FGA-(50:50) synthesized material exhibits a distinctive structure and excellent adsorption properties, thereby providing a viable option for the elimination of toxic cationic dyes from polluted water.
The present work systematically investigated the influence of starch silylation on the structures and properties of starch/epoxidized soybean oil-based bioplastics. Silylated starch was synthesized using starch particles (SP-ST) or gelatinized starch (SG-ST) under different silane hydrolysis pHs. Due to the appearance of -NH2 groups and lower OH wavenumbers, SP-ST obtained at pH 5 showed higher silylation degree and stronger hydrogen bond interaction with epoxidized soybean oils (ESO) than that at pH 11. The morphology analysis revealed better interfacial compatibility of ESO and SP-ST. The tensile strength of the samples containing SP-ST increased by 51.91 % than the control, emphasizing the enhanced interaction within the bioplastics. However, tensile strength of the bioplastics with SG-ST decreased by 59.56 % due to their high moisture contents from unreacted silanes. Additionally, the bioplastics with SG-ST exhibited an obvious reduction of thermal stability and an increase in water solubility because of the presence of unreacted APMS. The bioplastic degradation was not prevented by starch silylation except high pH. The bioplastics showed the most desirable tensile properties, thermal stability, and water solubility when starch was surface-modified with silanes hydrolyzed at pH 5. These outcomes made the fabricated bioplastics strong candidates for petroleum-based plastics for packaging applications.
As an inland dryland lake basin, the rivers and lakes within the Lake Bosten basin provide scarce but valuable water resources for a fragile environment and play a vital role in the development and sustainability of the local societies. Based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, combined with the geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technology, we used the index WI2019 to extract and analyze the water body area changes of the Bosten Lake basin from 2000 to 2021 when the threshold value is -0.25 and the slope mask is 8°. The driving factors of water body area changes were also analyzed using the partial least squares-structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The result shows that in the last 20 years, the area of water bodies in the Bosten Lake basin generally fluctuated during the dry, wet, and permanent seasons, with a decreasing trend from 2000 to 2015 and an increasing trend between 2015 and 2019 followed by a steadily decreasing trend afterward. The main driver of the change in wet season water bodies in the Bosten Lake basin is the climatic factors, with anthropogenic factors having a greater influence on the water body area of dry season and permanent season than that of wet season. Our study achieved an accurate and convenient extraction of water body area and drivers, providing up-to-date information to fully understand the spatial and temporal variation of surface water body area and its drivers in the basin, which can be used to effectively manage water resources.
Cancer has become a major public health issue leading to one of the foremost causes of morbidity and death in the world. Despite the current advances in diagnosis using modern technologies and treatment via surgery or chemo- and radio-therapies, severe side effects or after-effects limit the application of these treatment modalities. Novel drug delivery systems have shown the potential to deliver chemotherapeutics directly to cancer cells, thus minimizing unnecessary exposure to healthy cells. Concurrently, to circumvent difficulties associated with conventional deliveries of cancer therapeutics, natural polysaccharides have gained attention for the fabrication of such deliveries owing to biocompatibility, low toxicity, and biodegradability. It has been exhibited that natural polysaccharides can deliver high therapeutic concentrations of the entrapped drug to the target cells by sustained and targeted release. Considering the immense potential of natural polymers, the present work focuses on naturally generated biopolymer carriers based on chitosan and hyaluronic acid. This review delineated on the role of chitosan and its derivation from renewable resources as a biocompatible, biodegradable, nonimmunogenic material with notable antitumor activity as a drug delivery carrier in oncotherapy. Moreover, hyaluronic acid, itself by its structure or when linked with other molecules contributes to developing promising pharmaceutical delivery systems to setback the restrictions related to conventional cancer treatment.
There is much interest in developing metal-free halogenated graphene such as fluorinated graphene for various catalytic applications. In this work, a fluorine-doped graphene oxide photocatalyst was investigated for photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of a volatile organic compound (VOC), namely gaseous methanol. The fluorination process of graphene oxide (GO) was carried out via a novel and facile solution-based photoirradiation method. The fluorine atoms were doped on the surface of the GO in a semi-ionic C-F bond configuration. This presence of the semi-ionic C-F bonds induced a dramatic 7-fold increment of the hole charge carrier density of the photocatalyst. The fluorinated GO photocatalyst exhibited excellent photodegradation up to 93.5% or 0.493 h-1 according pseudo-first order kinetics for methanol. In addition, 91.7% of methanol was mineralized into harmless carbon dioxide (CO2) under UV-A irradiation. Furthermore, the photocatalyst demonstrated good stability in five cycles of methanol PCO. Besides methanol, other VOCs such as acetone and formaldehyde were also photodegraded. This work reveals the potential of fluorination in producing effective graphene-based photocatalyst for VOC removal.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are promising alternatives to non-degradable polymers in various applications. This study explored the use of biologically recovered PHA as a biofilm carrier in a moving bed biofilm reactor for acid orange 7 treatment. The PHA was comprised of 86 ± 1 mol% of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 14 ± 1 mol% of 3-hydroxyhexanoate and was melt-fused at 140 °C into pellets. The net positive surface charge of the PHA biocarrier facilitated attachment of negatively charged activated sludge, promoting biofilm formation. A 236-µm mature biofilm developed after 26 days. The high polysaccharides-to-protein ratio (>1) in the biofilm's extracellular polymeric substances indicated a stable biofilm structure. Four main microbial strains in the biofilm were identified as Leclercia adecarboxylata, Leuconostoc citreum, Bacillus cereus, and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, all of which exhibited decolourization abilities. In conclusion, PHA holds promise as an effective biocarrier for biofilm development, offering a sustainable alternative in wastewater treatment applications.
In this investigation, microwave irradiation assisted by ZnCl2 was used to transform pineapple crown (PN) waste into mesoporous activated carbon (PNAC). Complementary techniques were employed to examine the physicochemical characteristics of PNAC, including BET, FTIR, SEM-EDX, XRD, and pH at the point-of-zero-charge (pHpzc). PNAC is mesoporous adsorbent with a surface area of 1070 m2/g. The statistical optimization for the adsorption process of two model cationic dyes (methylene blue: MB and, crystal violet: CV) was conducted using the response surface methodology-Box-Behnken design (RSM-BBD). The parameters include solution pH (4-10), contact time (2-12) min, and PNAC dosage (0.02-0.1 g/100 mL). The Freundlich and Langmuir models adequately described the dye adsorption isotherm results for the MB and CV systems, whereas the pseudo-second order kinetic model accounted for the time dependent adsorption results. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) for PNAC with the two tested dyes are listed: 263.9 mg/g for CV and 274.8 mg/g for MB. The unique adsorption mechanism of MB and CV dyes by PNAC implicates multiple contributions to the adsorption process such as pore filling, electrostatic forces, H-bonding, and π-π interactions. This study illustrates the possibility of transforming PN into activated carbon (PNAC) with the potential to remove two cationic dyes from aqueous media.
Over the last few decades, the application of nanoparticles (NPs) gained immense attention towards environmental and biomedical applications. NPs are ultra-small particles having size ranges from 1 to 100 nm. NPs loaded with therapeutic or imaging compounds have proved a versatile approach towards healthcare improvements. Among various inorganic NPs, zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) NPs are considered as non-toxic and having an improved drug delivery characteristics . Several studies have reported broader applications of ZnFe2O4 NPs for treating carcinoma and various infectious diseases. Additionally, these NPs are beneficial for reducing organic and inorganic environmental pollutants. This review discusses about various methods to fabricate ZnFe2O4 NPs and their physicochemical properties. Further, their biomedical and environmental applications have also been explored comprehensively.
Metal/Metal Oxide nanoparticles (M/MO NPs) exhibit potential biomedical applications due to their tunable physicochemical properties. Recently, the biogenic synthesis of M/MO NPs has gained massive attention due to their economical and eco-friendly nature. In the present study, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (Nat) flower extract-derived Zinc Ferrite NPs (Nat-ZnFe2O4 NPs) were synthesized and physicochemically characterized by FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, DLS, and other instruments to study their crystallinity, size, shape, net charge, presence of phytocompounds on NP's surface and several other features. The average particle size of Nat-ZnFe2O4 NPs was approx. 25.87 ± 5.67 nm. XRD results showed the crystalline nature of Nat-ZnFe2O4 NPs. The net surface charge on NPs was -13.28 ± 7.18 mV. When tested on mouse fibroblasts and human RBCs, these NPs were biocompatible and hemocompatible. Later, these Nat-ZnFe2O4 NPs exhibited potent anti-neoplastic activity against pancreatic, lung, and cervical cancer cells. In addition, NPs induced apoptosis in tested cancer cells through ROS generation. These in vitro studies confirmed that Nat-ZnFe2O4 NPs could be used for cancer therapy. Moreover, further studies are recommended on ex vivo platforms for future clinical applications.