Eco-friendly fabrication and characterization of copper nanoparticles via Cymodocea serrulata (R.Br.) Asch. & Magnus extract: Evaluation of antioxidant and antibacterial activities

The green synthesis of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) employing a whole plant extract from Cymodocea serrulata (CS) has been accounted in the present research work. The presence of coumarin, flavonoid, phenol, saponin, tannin, carbohydrate and xanthoprotein were approved by the phytochemical analysis of the plant aqueous extract and these chemicals can be employed as stabilizing, reducing and capping agents. The CS-CuNPs were illustrated by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, Energy dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Atomic force microscopy (AFM). Significant absorption was observed at 274 nm resulting from the surface plasmon resonance (SPR). FTIR was exploited to distinguish the specific functional groups accountable for reducing ion copper to copper nanoparticles and the capping agents available in the plant extract. SEM image showed triangular pyramid shape of CS-CuNPs and size of 23.30 nm. The XRD results revealed a crystalline nature of CS-CuNPs with an average size of 23.24 nm. The surface morphology was confirmed by AFM techniques. The CS-CuNPs had shown strong 2,2’-diphenyl-2-picryl hydroxyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. It also showed high antibacterial activity against Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The eco-friendly, rapid, and cost-effective synthesis of copper nanoparticles from C. serrulata (CS-CuNPs) whole plant extract yielded particles with remarkable broad-spectrum antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. These CS-CuNPs showed strong activity against DPPH radicals and gram-negative bacteria, indicating significant potential for various biomedical applications.