Bio-therapeutic Potential and Cytotoxicity Assessment of Pectin-Mediated Synthesized Nanostructured Cerium Oxide

In the present studies, renewable and nontoxic biopolymer, pectin, was extracted from Indian red pomelo fruit peels and used for the synthesis of cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO 2 -NPs) having bio-therapeutic potential. The structural information of extracted pectin was investigated by FTIR and NMR spectroscopic techniques. Physicochemical characteristics of this pectin suggested its application in the synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles. Using this pectin as a template, CeO 2 -NPs were synthesized by simple, one step and eco-friendly approach. The UV–Vis spectrum of synthesized CeO 2 -NPs exhibited a characteristic absorption peak at wavelength 345 nm, which can be assigned to its intrinsic band gap (3.59 eV) absorption. Photoluminescence measurements of CeO 2 -NPs revealed that the broad emission was composed of seven different bands. FTIR analysis ensured involvement of pectin in the formation and stabilization of CeO 2 -NPs. FT-Raman spectra showed a sharp Raman active mode peak at 461.8 cm −1 due to a symmetrical stretching mode of Ce–O vibration. DLS, FESEM, EDX, and XRD analysis showed that the CeO 2 -NPs prepared were polydispersed, spherical shaped with a cubic fluorite structure and average particle size ≤40 nm. These CeO 2 -NPs displayed broad spectrum antimicrobial activity, antioxidant potential, and non-cytotoxic nature.