Impact of Ag and Se on the Physiochemical, anti-bacterial, and cytotoxic activities of LaPO4 nanoparticles

• Ultra-sonic synthesis of LaPO 4, Ag-LaPO 4 and Se-LaPO 4 nanoparticles. • Anti-bacterial study of LaPO 4, Ag-LaPO 4 and Se-LaPO 4 nanoparticles. • Cytotoxicity activity against HCT 116 (Colorectal cancer) cell line. Multi-resistant organisms are developing an amassed public health trouble and making difficult to treat with antibiotics. Infections caused by these organisms are spreading worldwide and increasing financial burden. Design and development of new antibiotic is significantly required; however, it needs huge financial and labour support. To solve this issue, alternative strategies are required to develop. Therefore, an ultrasonic method was utilized to synthesize the LaPO 4 , Ag-LaPO 4 , and Se-LaPO 4 nanoparticles (NPs) The NPs were characterized using several analytical techniques such as XRD, TEM, EDX, FTIR, UV–Vis, and Zeta potential. The anti-bacterial potential of NPs was investigated against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria. MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxic efficacy of the nanoparticles on colorectal cancer cell line (HCT116). The results demonstrated that Ag-LaPO 4 NPs have a strong inhibitory effect that led to 100% kill of S. aureus cells. Exposing E. coli to the nanoparticles immediately resulted in the killing of about 50% of the cells. However, there was no lethal effect of Se-LaPO 4 and LaPO 4 on S. aureus and E. coli bacterial cells. The MTT assay confirmed the decrease in cell viability after the treatment. The highest cytotoxic activity was exhibited by the Ag-LaPO 4 nanoparticles.