Synthesis and characterization of fluorescent ZnO nanoparticles and their biomedical applications

This article highlights the optical, chemical, and biological properties of fluorescent curcumin-mediated zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) that were synthesized using a wet chemical precipitation technique and explores their therapeutic properties. Both curcumin and ZnO NPs exhibit exceptional antioxidant and antidiabetic properties in in vitro studies. Synthesized curcumin-ZnO NPs (Cur-ZnO NPs) was characterized via UV, X-ray powder diffraction, photoluminescence, Raman, Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, antibacterial, antidiabetic, anticancer, and antioxidant studies. The optical photoluminescence of Cur-ZnO NPs was excited at 450 nm, corresponding to its peak emission. The synthesized NPs demonstrated high antibacterial potential when applied to two Gram-negative (E. coli and P. aeruginosa) and Gram-positive (S. pyogenes and S. aureus) bacteria. These NPs showed significant efficacy against oxidative stress and potential ability for managing diabetes mellitus by reducing the levels of α-amylase and α-glucosidase in the body. Furthermore, the Cur-ZnO NPs exhibited strong cytotoxic effects on a cancer cell line (MCF-7), causing ∼78 % of cell death. Cur-ZnO NPs hold out the prospect for more effective and less toxic therapies to combat cancer.