Novel Pluronic F‐127‐coated ZnO nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, and their in‐vitro cytotoxicity evaluation

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly recognized for their potential use in various biomedical applications. However, the tendency of bare ZnO NPs to aggregate and their poor stability in the biological environment reduce their biocompatibility and lead to cytotoxicity in normal healthy cells. This study attempted to avoid this by synthesizing a novel Pluronic F‐127‐coated ZnO NPs and evaluating their cytotoxicity impact on normal healthy human endothelial AE.hy296 cells. The characterization results revealed that Pluronic coating process remarkably enhanced the stability of ZnO NPs and did not alter their desired crystalline structure. The cytotoxicity of bare and Pluronic F‐127‐coated ZnO NPs were evaluated through MTT assay and microscopy imaging. The results of the cytotoxicity tests showed that Pluronic F‐127 modification significantly improved the biocompatibility and reduced the cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs toward the normal endothelial human EA.hy926 cells. Based on their high crystallinity, stability, and biocompatibility, Pluronic F‐123‐coated ZnO NPs hold promising potential for miscellaneous biomedical applications.