Plant-Extract of Mimusops elengi leaves and Flower-Mediated ZnO Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Biomedical Applications

The current study aims to employ an ecologically sustainable method, utilizing a plant-based extract derived from Mimusops elengi as both a reducing and capping agent. Synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was done from aqueous leaves and flower extracts of Mimusops elengi. Different spectroscopic techniques were used to characterize these biosynthesized (ZnO NPs) zinc oxide nanoparticles like UV-visible, FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDX techniques. UV-visible spectroscopy showed the absorption wavelength of ZnO NPs at 353nm (leaves extracts) and 365nm (flowers extracts). FTIR spectra showed the absorption frequency of different functional groups present in plant extract along with ZnO peak at 637cm-1 (leaves extracts) and 643cm-1 (flowers extracts). XRD results revealed the hexagonal structure and crystalline nature of biosynthesized ZnO NPs. The average grain size calculated for ZnO NPs of leaves and flower extracts was 10.37 and 15.52nm, respectively. SEM analysis showed a hexagonal shape. EDX confirmed the formation and purity of ZnO NPs by showing an abundant % of zinc and oxygen atoms. The significant bactericidal efficacy of biosynthesized ZnO NPs was found against pathogens Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. When compared to ZnO nanoparticles from flower extracts and biosynthesized ZnO nanoparticles from leaf extract exhibited substantial suppression.  ZnO-NPs synthesized from leaves and flower extracts of Mimusops elengi can be subjugated for biomedical and ecologically sustainable applications.