Anthocephalus cadamba leaf extract mediated synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles and evaluation of their methylene blue dye degradation, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

Plant extracts are a rich source of biomolecules that can serve as complex reagents for the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. The aim of the present study is to synthesize copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) from Anthocephalus cadamba (AC) aqueous leaf extract. AC-CuO NPs were characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy, SEM-EDX, XRD and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The UV-Visible absorption spectra revealed a peak at 360 nm. SEM and EDX data indicated a spherical shape with an average dimension of 80 nm. X-Ray diffraction analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of CuO NPs. We further evaluated the synthesized AC-CuO NPs for their catalytic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The catalytic property of the synthesized AC-CuO NPs showed potential efficacy in degrading methylene blue (MB) dye at ambient temperature, as confirmed by the reduction in MB dye maximum absorbance over time. A 78 % degradation of MB dye was monitored after 120 min. At 200 μg/ml concentration, the AC-CuO NPs exhibited significant antioxidant activity, as evidenced by 63 % hydrogen peroxide scavenging with an IC 50 value of 46 µg/ml and 50 % free radical scavenging activity with an IC 50 value of 58 µg/ml as measured by phosphomolybdenum assay. Furthermore, anti-inflammatory was assessed using egg albumin denaturation method, where AC-CuO NPs demonstrated 62 % of anti-inflammatory activity at a concentration of 500 μg/ml, with an IC 50 value of 63 µg/ml. This study emphasizes the potential of A. cadamba -derived CuO NPs as sustainable therapeutic agents and in addressing water pollution. • CuO NPs were biosynthesized using Anthocephalus cadamba (AC) leaf extract. • AC-CuO NPs exhibited significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. • AC-CuO NPs demonstrated effective catalytic degradation of methylene blue dye. • AC-CuO NPs exhibited significant total antioxidant and H 2 O 2 scavenging activity.