Characterization and investigating the potential therapeutic effects of phyto-assisted CuO and Zn-doped CuO nanoparticles from Calophyllum apetalum (Willd.) leaf extract

Phyto-assisted CuO and Zn-doped CuO NPs were synthesized using Calophyllum apetalum leaf aqueous extract. The extract was screened for its phytoconstituents. LCMS analysis of extract displayed 17 compounds in ESI + ve mode and 2 compounds in ESI -ve mode. The biosynthesized NPs were characterized by UV, XRD, FTIR, AFM, Zeta potential, SEM, EDX, and HR-TEM techniques. XRD analysis revealed crystalline nature of NPs with crystallite size of 18.64 nm and 20.67 nm for pristine and doped NPs, respectively. FTIR spectrum showed various functional groups in extract and NPs. The SEM images depicted the quasi-spherical morphology of CuO and Zn-CuO NPs, while EDX revealed the elemental percentage of Cu (52.72) and O (47.28) in CuO and Zn (3.58), Cu (74.06) and O (22.37) in Zn-CuO NPs. HR-TEM analysis showed an irregular spherical shape with an average particle size of 18.50 nm and 20.49 nm for pristine and doped NPs, respectively. In biological activities, Zn-CuO NPs exhibited higher antioxidant activity for DPPH (71.69 ± 0.37 %), metal chelating (71.91 ± 0.21 %) and reducing power assay (1.07 ± 0.32) compared to CuO NPs. The CuO and Zn-CuO NPs displayed lower hemolysis (