In the present study, we utilized Stevia rebaudiana L. (SRLe) extract to in situ biosynthesize nanoscale alpha hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles (NPs) with potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. SRLe-α-Fe₂O₃ was characterized using physiochemical analyses, including UV/Vis, FTIR, XRD, DLS, EDX, SEM, and TEM studies. Among tested solvents, CHCl₃/MeOH (2:1 v/v) SRL extract (least polar solvent) contained the highest EY, TPC, and antioxidant capacity of ~3.5%, ~75 mg GAE/g extract, and IC₅₀ = 9.87 ± 0.7 mg/mL, respectively. FTIR confirmed the engagement of coating operation to the colloidal α-Fe₂O₃ NPs. TEM, SEM, and DLS revealed that SRLe-α-Fe₂O₃ has a spherical shape, uniform size distribution with aggregation for an average size of ~18.34 nm, and ζ = −19.4 mV, forming a repulsive barrier that helped to improve stability. The synthesized nanoparticles displayed considerable antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus bacterial growth, and exhibited superior activity against the A549 lung cancer cell lines. These findings indicate that the increased availability of bioactive substances with antioxidant properties of SRLe makes it a potentially interesting material for the preparation of biologically active compounds and green synthesis of nanoparticles.

This study utilized Aspergillus flavus to produce selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) in an environmentally friendly and ecologically sustainable manner, targeting several medicinal applications. These biosynthesized Se-NPs were meticulously characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM), and UV–visible spectroscopy (UV), revealing their spherical shape and size ranging between 28 and 78 nm. We conducted further testing of Se-NPs to evaluate their potential for biological applications, including antiviral, anticancer, antibacterial, antioxidant, and antibiofilm activities. The results indicate that biosynthesized Se-NPs could be effective against various pathogens, including Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 14028), Bacillus pumilus (ATCC 14884), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Clostridium sporogenes (ATCC 19404), Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739), and Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633). Additionally, the biosynthesized Se-NPs exhibited anticancer activity against three cell lines: pancreatic carcinoma (PANC1), cervical cancer (Hela), and colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2), with IC50 values of 177, 208, and 216 μg/mL, respectively. The nanoparticles demonstrated antiviral activity against HSV-1 and HAV, achieving inhibition rates of 66.4% and 15.1%, respectively, at the maximum non-toxic concentration, while also displaying antibiofilm and antioxidant properties. In conclusion, the biosynthesized Se-NPs by A. flavus present a promising avenue for various biomedical applications with safe usage.

Selenium (Se) is a nutritional component necessary for animal and plant development and reproduction. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have a high absorption rate during routine supplementation. In the current study, a cell-free extract of Aspergillus terreus was used as a reducing and stabilizing agent in the synthesis of SeNPs using a green and eco-friendly method. The mycosynthesized SeNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results of the characterization process showed that the mycosynthesized SeNPs had spherical shapes and sizes less than 100 nm. Results showed that mycosynthesized SeNPs exhibited promising antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria where inhibition zones were 14, 20, 16, and 13 mm toward S. haemolyticus, S. aureus, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae, respectively. However, it had weak antifungal activity against C. albicans, where the inhibition zone was 12 mm. The efficacy of mycosynthesized SeNPs for the decolorization of malachite green dye was investigated. Results illustrated that SeNPs exhibited rapid biodegradation of malachite green dye, reaching up to 89% after 240 min. In conclusion, SeNPs were successfully biosynthesized using A. terreus and demonstrated both antimicrobial and photocatalytic activities.

In the current study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) were prepared using extracellular extracts of Aspergillus niger. Hence, the morphological structure, optical, and surface features of the synthesized nanoparticles were studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible and infrared absorption by Fourier transform. Use dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurements to assess colloidal stability. The mean size of the synthetic particles is approximately 20 ± 5 nm and they have a hexagonal crystal structure. In addition, the prepared nanoparticles have strong light absorption in the ultraviolet region of λ = 265 and 370 nm. To achieve the goal of this study, the efficiency of ZnO-NP was determined as an antibacterial and antifungal against different bacterial and fungal strains. It was found that ZnO-NP showed significant antibacterial activity, where the inhibition zones were varied from 21 to 35mm in diameter against six bacterial species (i.e. K. pneumoniae, E. coli, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, and S. haemolyticus). In such a case, the minimal inhibitory concentration of zinc oxide nanoparticles against bacterial strains were 50, 12.5, 12.5, 50, 12.5, and 12.5μg/ml for K. pneumoniae, E. coli, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, and S. haemolyticus, respectively. Furthermore, ZnO-NP exhibits an antifungal behaviour against four fungal species (i.e., A. niger, P. marneffei, C. glabrata, and C. parapsilosis) with inhibition zone from 18 to 35mm in diameter. Whereas, the MICs for fungal isolates were 12.5μg/ml except A. niger was at 25μg/ml. Wi-38 cells were treated with ZnO-NPs exhibited different levels of cytotoxicity dependent upon the concentration of ZnO NPs using the MTT assay with IC50~800.42. Therefore, the present study introduces a facile and cost-effective extracellular green-synthesis of ZnO-NP to be used as antimicrobial and anticancer agents.

Syzygium aromaticum L. (S. aromaticum) used universally as a spice beside as one of classical Indian and Chinese medicine. It contains a variety of biologically active substances, one of them is eugenol which the main component, accounting for 81.1% of the clove oil. It used in traditional medicine as an antibacterial, antineoplastic, antiseptic, and analgesic agent. Previous studies reported its role within photochemical reactions and its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and insecticidal properties, for that, eugenol listed as a promising candidate for the chemical scaffold for pharmaceuticals. The aim of the current study is evaluating of methanolic (80%) clove extract at room temperature in the sunlight (RS) and at low temperatures in the dark (DC) for their antibacterial and anticancer activity applied on different two cancer cell line types breast carcinoma cell line (MCF-7) and hepato-carcinoma cell line type (HePG-2). The results evaluated that both (DC) and (RS) have antibacterial activity against five multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates. Extract (DC) of clove has a larger zone of inhibition against S. aureus, S. epidermidis, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia, and E. coli, with diameter 13, 20, 20, 21, and 15 mm, respectively, with MICs and MBCs of 6.25 mg/mL and 12.5 mg/ml for all isolates except S. aureus showed MIC at 12.5 mg/ml. On the other hand, extract (RS) exhibit zone of inhibition with diameter 17, 10, 15, 18, 17 mm, respectively, with MICs and MBCs of 12.5 mg/mL and 25 mg/ml for all isolates except S. aureus showed MIC at 25 mg/ml. Also, both (DC) and (RS) have cytotoxic activity against two cell lines with significant DNA fragmentation as an indicator of cell apoptosis. The cytotoxic concentration of (DC) with IC₅₀ values for MCF-7 started at 250 µg/ml and reached 46.7% but was 500 and 1000 µg/ml. toxicity reached 100%. Cytotoxicity of (RS) against mcf7 was found to be 48.25% at a concentration of 500 μg/ml, reaching 100% toxicity at the above concentrations 1000 µg/ml. For the HepG-2 cell line, the cytotoxic activity of (DC) was significant at 50.5% at a concentration of 250 µg/ml, whereas RS showed cytotoxic activity at 500 µg/ml with a value of 17.3%. These therapies for cancer and bacterial infections are all-natural and eco-friendly.

Bombyx mori silk is one of the most extensively studied types of silk due to its unique mechanical properties and biocompatibility, which have enabled its Utilization in medical applications Including surgical sutures since the second century. In the present study, a new method for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was explored by applying Bombyx mori cocoon extract as a sustainable and eco-friendly biological source. Unlike previous studies that primarily utilized plant or microbial extracts, this approach offers a more efficient alternative due to the unique protein and polyphenol content of silk cocoons, which enhances the stability and biological properties of the biosynthesized nanoparticles. The resulting AgNPs exhibited significant antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic properties, opening new avenues for their therapeutic applications. This study expands the range of biological materials used in AgNP synthesis and provides deeper insight into how different bioactive components influence their functional properties. In this study, AgNPs were biosynthesized by mechanically processing extracted raw silk material with silver nitrate (AgNO₃). The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by implementing several physicochemical techniques, including UV-visible spectrophotometry, FTIR, and XRD, and their morphology was examined through Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The obtained AgNPs displayed a distinct absorption peak at 420 nm, with a particle size ranging between 5 and 25 nm, and displayed characteristic FTIR and XRD patterns typical of silver nanoparticles. The biosynthesized AgNPs demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25923), Staphylococcus haemolyticus (ATCC29968), Escherichia coli (ATCC8739), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC2146). The antioxidant potential, assessed via the DPPH assay, yielded an IC50 value of 4.94 µg/ml, while the anti-inflammatory effect, evaluated using the membrane stabilization technique, showed an IC50 of 7.14 µg/ml. Additionally, AgNPs exhibited notable cytotoxic properties against Caco-2 and PANC1 cell lines, with IC50 values of 177.24 ± 2.01 µg/ml and 208.15 ± 2.79 µg/ml, respectively. Conversely, their impact on normal HFB-4 cells was minimal, with an IC50 of 582.33 ± 6.37 µg/ml, indicating a favorable safety profile. These observations highlight the multifunctional potential of silk-derived AgNPs, suggesting their applicability in various biomedical fields.