Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antioxidant, and Anticancer Activities of CuO Nanoparticles Green Synthesized Using Solanum xanthocarpum
J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Volume 15, No 1 (March 2026) pp. 117-126
Abstract
This study demonstrates a green and sustainable method for synthesizing copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) using Solanum xanthocarpum leaf extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. Structural analysis by X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of crystalline monoclinic CuO NPs. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy identified functional groups originating from phytochemicals, suggesting their role in nanoparticle capping and stabilization. UV–Visible spectroscopy revealed characteristic absorption in the visible range, while photoluminescence spectrum provided insights into the optical emission behavior of the CuO NPs. Field emission scanning electron microscopy showed aggregated nanoparticle morphology, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy along with elemental mapping confirmed the uniform distribution of copper and oxygen elements. The biosynthesized CuO NPs exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Antioxidant potential, evaluated using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay, indicated strong free radical scavenging capacity. Furthermore, cytotoxicity assessment against A498 human kidney carcinoma cells revealed promising anticancer activity. These findings highlight the potential of S. xanthocarpum-mediated CuO NPs for diverse biomedical applications, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer therapies
Full Text
Reference
Almutary, A. and Sanderson, B. J. S., The MTT and Crystal Violet Assays: Potential Confounders in Nanoparticle Toxicity Testing, Int. J. Toxicol., 35(4), 454–462 (2016).
https://doi.org/10.1177/1091581816648906
Amin, M., Anwar, F., Janjua, M. R. S. A., Iqbal, M. A. and Rashid, U., Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles through Reduction with Solanum xanthocarpum L. Berry Extract: Characterization, Antimicrobial and Urease Inhibitory Activities against Helicobacter pylori, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 13(8), 9923–9941 (2012).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms13089923
Bharathidasan, P., Surya, M., Geetha Sravanthy, P., and Saravanan, M., Green Synthesis of Molybdenum Nanoparticles From Solanum xanthocarpum and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activity Against Multidrug-Resistant Wound Isolates, Cureus.
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.56760
Boyanova, L., Gergova, G., Nikolov, R., Derejian, S., Lazarova, E., Katsarov, N., Mitov, I. and Krastev, Z., Activity of Bulgarian propolis against 94 Helicobacter pylori strains in vitro by agar-well diffusion, agar dilution and disc diffusion methods, J. Med. Microbiol., 54(5), 481–483 (2005).
https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.45880-0
Grigore, M., Biscu, E., Holban, A., Gestal, M. and Grumezescu, A., Methods of Synthesis, Properties and Biomedical Applications of CuO Nanoparticles, Pharm., 9(4), 75 (2016).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ph9040075
Intra, J., Sarto, C., Mazzola, S., Fania, C., Tiberti, N. and Brambilla, P., In Vitro Activity of Antifungal Drugs Against Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes spp. by E-Test Method and Non-supplemented Mueller–Hinton Agar Plates, Mycopathologia, 184(4), 517–523 (2019).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-019-00360-9
Iravani, S., Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using plants, Green Chem., 13(10), 2638 (2011).
https://doi.org/10.1039/c1gc15386b
Khairy, T., Amin, D. H., Salama, H. M., Elkholy, I. M. A., Elnakib, M., Gebreel, H. M. and Sayed, H. A. E., Antibacterial activity of green synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles against multidrug-resistant bacteria, Sci. Rep., 14(1), 25020 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-75147-0
Nagore, P., Ghotekar, S., Mane, K., Ghoti, A., Bilal, M. and Roy, A., Structure Properties and Antimicrobial Activities of Polyalthia longifolia Leaf Extract-mediated CuO Nanoparticles, BioNanoSci., 11, 579–589 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12668-021-00851-4
Nair, G. M., Sajini, T. and Mathew, B., Advanced green approaches for metal and metal oxide nanoparticles synthesis and their environmental applications, Talanta Open, 5, 100080 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talo.2021.100080
Nayal, R., Mejjo, D. and Abajy, M. Y., Anti-inflammatory properties and safety of green synthesized metal and metal oxide nanoparticles: A review article, Eur. J. Med. Chem. Rep., 11, 100169 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmcr.2024.100169
Palani, M., Kalaiselvan, S., Martin Mark, J. A., Chandran, K. and Ekhambaram, V., Green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles: A promising role of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity by using Tribulus terrestris L, Asp. Mol. Med., 4, 100049 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amolm.2024.100049
Prakash, S., Elavarasan, N., Venkatesan, A., Subashini, K., Sowndharya, M. and Sujatha, V., Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles and its effective applications in Biginelli reaction, BTB photodegradation and antibacterial activity, Adv. Powder Technol., 29(12), 3315–3326 (2018).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apt.2018.09.009
Radulescu, D. M., Surdu, V. A., Ficai, A., Ficai, D., Grumezescu, A. M. and Andronescu, E., Green Synthesis of Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles: A Review of the Principles and Biomedical Applications, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 24(20), 15397 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242015397
Rafique, M., Sadaf, I., Rafique, M. S. and Tahir, M. B., A review on green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their applications, Artif. Cells Nanomed. Biotechnol., 45(7), 1272–1291 (2017).
https://doi.org/10.1080/21691401.2016.1241792
Rahman, G., Fazal, H., Ullah, A., Ahmad, S., Nadeem, T., Ahmad, M., Ahmad, I., Mishra, N., Ashique, S., Zengin, G. and Farid, A., Empowering silver and copper nanoparticles through aqueous fruit extract of Solanum xanthocarpum for sustainable advancements, Biomass Convers. Bioref., 15(4), 5155–5169 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-024-05270-5
Saif, S., Tahir, A., Asim, T. and Chen, Y., Plant Mediated Green Synthesis of CuO Nanoparticles: Comparison of Toxicity of Engineered and Plant Mediated CuO Nanoparticles towards Daphnia magna, Nanomater., 6(11), 205 (2016).
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano6110205
Sengul, A. B. and Asmatulu, E., Toxicity of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles: a review, Environ. Chem. Lett., 18(5), 1659–1683 (2020).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-020-01033-6
Sharma, J. K., Akhtar, M. S., Ameen, S., Srivastava, P. and Singh, G., Green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles with leaf extract of Calotropis gigantea and its dye-sensitized solar cells applications, J. Alloys Compd., 632, 321–325 (2015).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2015.01.172
Siddiqui, V. U., Ansari, A., Chauhan, R. and Siddiqi, W. A., Green synthesis of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles by Punica granatum peel extract, Mater. Today Proc., 36, 751–755 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.05.504
Surendhiran, S., Gowthambabu, V., Balamurugan, A., Sudha, M., Senthil Kumar, V. B. and Suresh, K. C., Rapid green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles and evaluation of its photocatalytic and electrochemical corrosion inhibition performance, Mater. Today Proc., 47, 1011–1016 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.05.515
Szczyglewska, P., Feliczak-Guzik, A. and Nowak, I., Nanotechnology–General Aspects: A Chemical Reduction Approach to the Synthesis of Nanoparticles, Mol., 28(13), 4932 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28134932
Uma, B., Anantharaju, K. S., Renuka, L., Malini, S., More, S. S., Vidya, Y. S. and Meena, S., Synthesis of CuO samples by co-precipitation and green mediated combustion routes: Comparison of their structural, optical properties, photocatalytic, antibacterial, haemolytic and cytotoxic activities, Ceram Int., 47(7), 10355–10369 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.10.223
Xu, Z. P., Liu, Y., Wang, S. Y., Li, Z. W., Lu, D. X., Jiang, P., Pan, J., Guan, W., Kuang, H. X. and Yang, B. Y., Phenolic compounds of Solanum xanthocarpum play an important role in anti-inflammatory effects, Arab. J. Chem., 15(7), 103877 (2022).
