Fungal-mediated green synthesis of ZnO–MnO nanocomposites with antimicrobial and anticancer properties

The urgent need for sustainable therapeutic nanomaterials has driven interest in green synthesis routes. In this study, zinc oxide-manganese oxide nanocomposites were mycosynthesized by employing the fungal extracellular filtrate of Aspergillus terreus. Characterization based on different spectroscopical analysis confirmed their crystalline structure, associated functional groups, and nanoscale morphology. The obtained composites showed nanoscales with average particle sizes of 75 nm and 99 nm as determined by TEM and DLS analysis, respectively. Additionally, microbiological assays revealed their strong growth-ceasing activity against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis strains. Also, the time-kill assessment demonstrated rapid bacterial reduction at higher nanocomposite doses. Cytotoxicity studies indicated good safety in the case of WI-38 normal cells, potent anticancer activity against the MCF-7 tumor cell line, and a respectable selectivity index approximately 3.4 for the tested cancerous cell line. These findings highlight fungal-mediated biosynthesis as an eco-friendly route for producing zinc oxide-manganese oxide nanocomposites with respected spectrum antimicrobial activity and anticancer potential.