Biomedical applications of eco-friendly myco-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles using Penicillium citrinum Mekky2025

The biological synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles using fungi presents a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional methods. In this study, Penicillium citrinum FN.6 was isolated from soil and identified through both traditional and molecular techniques. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the fungal extract (PCE) revealed the presence of various bioactive compounds, predominantly 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)- and n-hexadecanoic acid. The extract was used to successfully synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). Characterization of the synthesized ZnO-NPs was conducted using UV–visible spectroscopy (showing a surface plasmon resonance peak at 363 nm), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The ZnO-NPs exhibited a spherical shape with an average diameter of 85 ± 4.6 nm. Biological evaluation showed that ZnO-NPs had potent antifungal activity against Candida albicans, as confirmed by SEM and TEM analyses. Antioxidant activity assessed via the DPPH assay indicated a strong scavenging ability, with an IC₅₀ value of 5.41 ± 0.3 µg/mL. Furthermore, the nanoparticles demonstrated notable hemolytic effect through membrane stabilization and displayed minimal cytotoxicity on normal cells with a CC₅₀ of 18.2 ± 0.7 µg/mL. These findings suggest that P. citrinum-mediated ZnO-NPs possess promising biomedical potential due to their antioxidant, hemolytic, and antifungal properties, coupled with low toxicity to healthy cells.