In Situ Biosynthesis of Reduced Alpha Hematite (α-Fe2O3) Nanoparticles by Stevia Rebaudiana L. Leaf Extract: Insights into Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Properties

Samar Zuhair Alshawwa; Eman J Mohammed; Nada Hashim; Mohamed Sharaf; Samy Selim; Hayaa M Alhuthali; Hind A Alzahrani; Alsayed E Mekky; Mohamed G Elharrif

doi:10.3390/antibiotics11091252

In Situ Biosynthesis of Reduced Alpha Hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) Nanoparticles by Stevia Rebaudiana L. Leaf Extract: Insights into Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Properties

Antibiotics (Basel). 2022 Sep 15;11(9):1252. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11091252.

Authors

Samar Zuhair Alshawwa¹, Eman J Mohammed², Nada Hashim³, Mohamed Sharaf⁴, Samy Selim⁵, Hayaa M Alhuthali⁶, Hind A Alzahrani⁷, Alsayed E Mekky⁸, Mohamed G Elharrif⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Biology, College of Science, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad 14022, Iraq.
³ General Practitioner, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gezira, Wad Medani 318, Sudan.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, AL-Azhar University, Cairo 11751, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Clinical laboratory sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Basic Sciences, Applied Medical Sciences, Albaha University, Albaha 4781, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
⁹ Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Shaqra University, Shaqra 11961, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

In the present study, we utilized Stevia rebaudiana L. (SRLe) extract to in situ biosynthesize nanoscale alpha hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles (NPs) with potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. SRLe-α-Fe₂O₃ was characterized using physiochemical analyses, including UV/Vis, FTIR, XRD, DLS, EDX, SEM, and TEM studies. Among tested solvents, CHCl₃/MeOH (2:1 v/v) SRL extract (least polar solvent) contained the highest EY, TPC, and antioxidant capacity of ~3.5%, ~75 mg GAE/g extract, and IC₅₀ = 9.87 ± 0.7 mg/mL, respectively. FTIR confirmed the engagement of coating operation to the colloidal α-Fe₂O₃ NPs. TEM, SEM, and DLS revealed that SRLe-α-Fe₂O₃ has a spherical shape, uniform size distribution with aggregation for an average size of ~18.34 nm, and ζ = -19.4 mV, forming a repulsive barrier that helped to improve stability. The synthesized nanoparticles displayed considerable antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus bacterial growth, and exhibited superior activity against the A549 lung cancer cell lines. These findings indicate that the increased availability of bioactive substances with antioxidant properties of SRLe makes it a potentially interesting material for the preparation of biologically active compounds and green synthesis of nanoparticles.

Keywords: IONP green synthesis; Stevia rebaudiana L.; antioxidant; antitumor; cytotoxic; extraction yield.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the AL-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. This research was also funded by the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2022R165), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.