Investigation of antibiosis, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, molecular docking and dye degradation potential of green synthesized copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) nanoparticles using mushroom Pleurotus florida

The current study proposes a low-cost, environmentally benign manufacturing approach of copper ferrite nanoparticles (CuFe₂O₄ NPs) via mushroom extract of Pleurotus florida (PFE) as the first-time report. Several characterization methods verified the production of PFE-CuFe₂O₄ NPs. The absorption spectrum exhibited the peak at 420 nm; band gap of 1.85 eV. The studies of SEM and TEM confirmed spherical and homogeneously distributed CuFe₂O₄ NPs with an average size of 22.4 ± 1.4 nm. The FTIR reported the presence of bio-essential molecules in PFE can act as a stabilizing and capping agent. The NPs were found to be fairly stable with zeta potential found at 28.9 ± 0.2 mV. Numerous in vitro biological investigations exemplified the applicability and practicality of CuFe₂O₄ NPs and compare them with the standard. The biofunctionalized CuFe₂O₄ NPs demonstrated a potent antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. Additionally, it was discovered that CuFe₂O₄ NPs have superior antioxidant activity (77-83%) and their scavenging ability is more comparable to ascorbic acid (control). Furthermore, a degradation efficiency of 91-92% was observed in 10-15 min for CuFe₂O₄ NPs in rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) dyes, indicating their remarkable effectiveness in this regard. Future research may focus on applying CuFe₂O₄ NPs to comprehensive wastewater treatment and determining the degradation products and ecological consequences.