Green Synthesized and Evaluation of ZnO Nanoparticles using Rhazya stricta Leaf Extract for Antibacterial and Anticancer Applications

This work aims to synthesize ZnO NPs utilizing Rhazya stricta (Harmal Alrazi) aqueous leaf extract in a quick, easy, and environmentally friendly manner. The obtained ZnONPs were characterized using various analytical techniques, which included XRD, FESEM, EDX, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The XRD analysis confirmed the hexagonal crystal nature with an average crystallite size of 43.4nm. FESEM images indicated a semi-spherical shape with particle sizes ranging from 26.71 nm to 38.40 nm. A characteristic absorption peak was observed at 379 nm for UV-Vis spectra. The biosynthesized ZnO NPs were also investigated as antibacterial agents against Klebsiella Pneumoniae (k.pneumoniae) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The measured diameters of the inhibition zones were (12mm) and (14 mm), respectively. The cytotoxicity effect of ZnONPs against A549 cell lines showed a higher cytotoxicity of 89.47 ± 1.550 at the high concentration of 100 μg/ml. This is the first attempt using harmal to facilitate the synthesis of ZnONPs as antibacterial and anticancer agents, which can subsequently be exploited as a potential candidate for antibacterial and anticancer agents and might be utilized after further in vivo studies.