Biofabrication of Mg-doped ZnO nanostructures for hemolysis and antibacterial properties

Abstract

The aim of this work was to synthesize 0.02 and 0.06 Mg-doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) using the aqueous extract of Plectranthus barbatus leaf. The structural integrity of the hexagonal phase was emphasized by X-ray diffraction analysis. The average crystallite size (D) of 0.02 and 0.06 Mg-doped ZnO NPs was found to be 23.83 and 26.95 nm, respectively. The scanning electron microscope images revealed a surface morphology of irregular nano-shapes of about 83 nm diameter with an elongated one-dimensional structure. The hemolysis activity demonstrated the safe nature of the synthesized materials at low doses. Antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli, which assessed using the disc diffusion method, indicated that the prepared NPs could inhibit S. aureus but not E. coli. These findings suggest that the synthesized NPs could be explored for potential applications in biotechnology and medicine.

Keywords: Antibacterial; Biofabrication; Hemolysis; Mg-doped ZnO; Plectranthus barbatus.