Synthesis and characterization of honey bee venom-loaded calcium oxide nanocomposites and evaluation of their cytotoxic (MCF-7) and antifungal activity

In this work, we studied a sonication-assisted method to synthesize Apis mellifera honey bee venom-loaded calcium oxide nanocomposites (BVNPs@CaO NCs). It effectively maintains the bioactivity and stability of the BV bioactive components on the surface of the CaO nanomaterials, showing potential bio-medicinal applications. The crude BV was purified and homogenized, and BVNPs were prepared via hydrothermal synthesis. At the same time, CaO nanomaterials were synthesized using an extract of Moringa oleifera leaves and combined with a sonication-assisted method to produce BVNPs@CaONCs. Using several characterizations, their irregular shape morphology was confirmed through TEM, revealing an interplanar spacing of 0.24 nm. The SAED pattern exhibited high crystallinity, as indicated by distinct diffraction rings and values of 7.26 (1/nm) and 6.38 (1/nm), corresponding to specific interplanar spacings within the crystal lattice/planes. The XRD analysis provided the crystal structure and revealed an average crystallite size of 31.47 nm. FTIR analysis shows O-H (3557 cm^-1), N-H (3233 cm^-1), C = N (202 cm^-1), and Ca-O (620, 475 cm^-1) stretching vibrations. UV-Vis spectroscopy shows maximum absorbance at 303 nm. Cytotoxicity was tested against MCF-7 breast cancer cells, with a calculated IC₅₀ value for the NCs of 78.72 ± 0.13 µg/mL, demonstrating significant dose-dependent cytotoxicity compared to BVNPS and prominent antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans.

Graphical abstract