Green synthesis of ZnO-NPs using endophytic fungal extract of Xylaria arbuscula from Blumea axillaris and its biological applications

Abstract

The biogenic manufacture of nanoparticles utilising endophytic fungus is an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and secure alternative to constructing chemical methods. The prime focus of the study was to fabricate ZnONPs using the biomass filtrate of endophytic Xylaria arbuscula isolated from Blumea axillaris Linn. and to evaluate their biological properties. The characterisation of the biosynthesized ZnO-NPs was done utilising both spectroscopic and microscopic methods. The bioinspired NPs showed a surface plasmon peak at 370 nm; SEM and TEM micrographs illustrated the hexagonal organisation; XRD spectra proved the crystalline phase as hexagonal wurtzite; EDX analysis confirmed the presence of zinc and oxygen atoms; and the zeta potential analysis proved the stability of ZnONPs. In addition, they also demonstrated significant concentration-dependent inhibition of antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic potential in comparison with the reference drugs. In vitro cytotoxicity and wound healing potential of ZnONPs were examined in L929 cell lines, illustrating that they accelerated the wound healing process by roughly 95.37 ± 1.12% after a 24-h exposure to ZnONPs. The photocatalytic activity of the ZnONPs was examined by degrading the methylene blue dye under solar irradiation. In conclusion, our outcomes showed that mycosynthesized ZnONPs possessed potent bioactivity and could be an excellent choice for biomedical applications.

Keywords: Xylaria arbuscula; biological applications; photocatalytic activity; wound-healing; zinc oxide nanoparticles.