Phytochemical engineering of vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles via neem extract: a sustainable platform for dual in vitro antidiabetic and anticancer activity

This study reports a sustainable green synthesis of vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles (V2O5 NPs) using Azadirachta indica (neem) leaf extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. The formation of V2O5 nanoparticles was confirmed through UV–Vis, FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, and zeta potential analyses. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited an orthorhombic crystalline phase, quasi-spherical morphology with particle sizes ranging from 20 to 80 nm, and good colloidal stability (–28.6 mV). Phytochemicals such as flavonoids and polyphenols present in the neem extract played a key role in nanoparticle formation and surface stabilization. In vitro biological evaluation revealed notable α-amylase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 68 µg/mL), indicating potential antidiabetic relevance, along with dose-dependent cytotoxic effects against HeLa and MCF-7 cancer cell lines, where cell viability decreased to below 40% at 100 µg/mL. The observed biological responses are discussed in relation to nanoparticle surface chemistry and redox-active vanadium species; however, mechanistic pathways such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) involvement are inferred based on existing literature rather than directly measured. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of neem-mediated V2O5 nanoparticles as a promising material for future in vitro biomedical investigations.