An eco-friendly production of ZnO NRs using Knema andamanica (Warb) extracts for photocatalytic and anticancer applications

• Biosynthesis of ZnO NRs using Knema andamanica (Warb) 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. Lung cancer is one of the most serious medical problems, and it is caused primarily by uncontrolled cell growth. Every year, the death rate due to cancer is increasing regularly. Despite the fact that various cancer treatments are being developed. An effective chemotherapic treatment using nanoparticles for a potential cancer application is still in progress. The primary goal of this study was to synthesize ZnO NRs using plant aqueous leaf extracts, which induce its magnificent applications in biomedical and cancer treatment applications. The ZnO NRs are obtained by substituting the chemical substances for the conversion of zinc ions into ZnO NRs during obtaining them with the help of Knema andamanica (Warb) leaf extracts. The obtained ZnO NRs are confirmed by particle characterization methods such as XRD analysis, which concluded that the obtained ZnO NRs are pure, with increased particle crystalline nature. The FTIR analysis reveals strong absorption spectra in the range of 400–4000 cm −1 . The TEM picture reveals the development of rod-like shaped ZnO NRs with a particle size of 20–200 nm. The in vitro toxicity assessment using zebrafish embryos showed very less death rate of 6.4% which confirms the non-toxic behavior of the ZnO NRs. Hence, the anticancer property of ZnO NRs was performed by using the A549 lung cancer cell line. The MTT, XTT, NRU, and LDH studies provide a wide range of understanding about the cell death cycle. Genotoxicity results concluded that procured ZnO NRs stimulated ROS and apoptosis towards cancer cells through various intrinsic gene developments. Antibacterial properties of ZnO NRs against various pathogens were analyzed and differentiated and the results concluded that the procured ZnO NRs reveal efficient bacterial cell growth inhibition. The antioxidant and photocatalytic property of ZnO NRs reveals promising free radical scavenging and increased catalytic activity. The green mediated synthesized ZnO NRs might offer promising implementations in medicinal areas.