Photo-activated synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles from Punica granatum L. seed oil: An assessment on antioxidant and anticancer properties for functional yoghurt nutraceuticals

D Esther Lydia; Ameer Khusro; P Immanuel; Galal Ali Esmail; Naif Abdullah Al-Dhabi; Mariadhas Valan Arasu

doi:10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2020.111868

Photo-activated synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles from Punica granatum L. seed oil: An assessment on antioxidant and anticancer properties for functional yoghurt nutraceuticals

J Photochem Photobiol B. 2020 Apr 1:206:111868. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2020.111868. Online ahead of print.

Authors

D Esther Lydia¹, Ameer Khusro², P Immanuel¹, Galal Ali Esmail³, Naif Abdullah Al-Dhabi³, Mariadhas Valan Arasu⁴

Affiliations

¹ PG Food Chemistry and Food Processing, Loyola College, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600034, India.
² Research Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Loyola College, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600034, India.
³ Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: mvalanarasu@gmail.com.

PMID: 32259745
DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2020.111868

Abstract

Yoghurt is a fermenting milk-based dairy product that has high nutritional benefits. It exhibits not only protection against osteoporosis but also enhances gut microbiota and aids digestion. In order to improve health beneficial aspects of yoghurt, this study was aimed to synthesize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using seeds oil of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) and to formulate functional yoghurt for its antioxidant and anticancer properties. The synthesized AuNPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectrophotometer, FT-IR, XRD, EDX, SEM, DLS, and Zeta potential analyzer. The photo-induced synthesis of AuNPs showed particle size and zeta potential of 70 nm and +34 mV, respectively, with unique peak at 525 nm as observed using UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The FT-IR spectrum of AuNPs showed shifts in the functional groups from 3632.27 to 541.899 cm^-1, thereby indicating the presence of various functional groups in pomegranate seed oil (PSO) and PSO-capped AuNPs. The AuNPs were observed to be smooth, elongated, and rectangular in shape. The PSO-capped AuNPs based formulation of functional yoghurt revealed DPPH degradation (23.6 ± 1.5 to 62.5 ± 1.8%) and H₂O₂ scavenging traits (21.6 ± 1.3 to 62.8 ± 1.8%) at varied concentrations. In addition, the PSO-capped AuNPs depicted strong anticancer attributes against lung and colon cancer with the cell viability ranging from 80.3 to 25% and 83.3 to 28.4.2%, respectively. Results concluded that the antioxidative components of PSO might have reduced and formulated AuNPs-based functional yoghurt. This functional yoghurt may reveal pivotal applications in food, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals, especially as antioxidant and anticancer agents.

Keywords: Anticancer properties; Antioxidant properties; Characterization; Gold nanoparticles; Pomegranate seed oil.