Anticancer therapeutic efficacy of biogenic Am-ZnO nanoparticles on 2D and 3D tumor models

The present study fabricates biogenic zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) with the aqueous leaf extract of Annona muricata (Am) plant collected from semi-evergreen forests of Odisha, India. The synthesized Am-ZnO NPs were physicochemically characterized. The ultraviolet/visible spectrum showed the maximum optical absorbance of Am-ZnO NPs at 355 nm. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis presented the nearly spherical shape of Am-ZnO NPs with an average particle size of 80 nm. The net surface charge and hydrodynamic size of Am-ZnO NPs were measured to be ∼−2.59 mV and ∼417 nm, respectively. Am-ZnO NPs were found to be biocompatible and hemocompatible nature. Furthermore, Am-ZnO NPs displayed strong anticancer effects on both 2D and 3D tumor models. We observed a dose-dependent toxicity on both A549 and MOLT4 cells and observed a size reduction in the A549 tumor spheroids. Subsequently, we observed a depolarization in mitochondrial membrane potential of Am-ZnO NP–treated cancer cells leading to the apoptosis induction in cancer cells. [Display omitted] •Fabrication of Annona muricata-Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (Am-ZnO NPs) via green synthesis approach.•Detailed physicochemically characterizations of Am-ZnO NPs.•Strong anticancer activities of Am-ZnO NPs on both 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) tumor models.•Am-ZnO NPs induced apoptosis with a depolarization in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm).