Anticancer and photocatalytic activities of zinc oxide nanorods synthesized from Manilkara littoralis leaf extract

Green nanotechnology has attracted the interest of many researchers due to the nontoxic and interesting features of the obtained particles. The zinc oxide (Zn) nanorods (NRs) were synthesized from the phytochemical compounds present in the Manilkara littoralis leaf extract. The obtained ZnO NRs were studied using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, transmission electron microscopy with selected area electron diffraction (TEM-SAED), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analyses and the results revealed that the synthesized particles had smaller size with increased surface position. The TEM-SAED image revealed that the obtained particles were rodlike and in size range of 50–200 nm. In vitro toxicological assessment of zebrafish embryos revealed that the obtained ZnO NRs were nontoxic and also safe to use for human treatment. To determine the anticancer properties of zinc oxide NRs, they were studied against a breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) by using MTT, XTT, neutral red uptake, and lactate dehydrogenase tests. The genotoxicity assessment showed apoptosis and necrosis-mediated cell death. The possible molecular mechanism for cell necrosis and apoptosis was investigated, yielding interesting information about ZnO NRs against the human breast cancer cell line. The antioxidant and photocatalytic activities of the synthesized zinc oxide NRs showed an increased ratio of free-radical scavenging and degradation activity. Furthermore, the antibacterial studies confirmed their efficient response against various infection-causing pathogens. The result of the study showed that the plant-mediated ZnO NRs synthesized using Manilkara littoralis leaf extract act as a reducing and stabilizing agent, suggesting that this method could be an excellent alternative for synthesizing ZnO NRs for various biomedical applications. • Biosynthesis of ZnO NRs using Manilkara littoralis leaf extracts. • Obtained ZnO nanorods was found to be non-toxic. • Photocatalytic, antioxidant, and cytotoxicity were characterized. • ZnO NRs found to be an excellent photocatalytic, and anticancer nanomedicine.