Characterization of herbal synthesized Ag doped ZnO nanoparticles as a potent cytotoxic agent on glioblastoma cell line

The green synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) can be achieved through the use of eco-friendly and readily available herbal extracts. In this particular study, the aqueous root extract of Biebersteinia multifidi (B. multifidi) plant was used to prepare pure zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles as well as Ag-doped ZnO NPs (Ag/ZnO NPs) at concentrations of 1%, 5%, and 10%. The physicochemical features of NPs were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and UV-Vis spectrophotometer techniques. The findings exhibited that Ag ions were effectively doped in the ZnO structure based on PXRD and EDX analyses, while FESEM indicated that the obtained NPs were spherical with an increase in particle size as silver was introduced into the ZnO structure. To assess their cytotoxicity performance, MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay was performed on brain glioblastoma cells (U87) using both pure ZnO NPs and Ag-doped ZnO NPs. The findings indicated that Ag-doped ZnO NPs had a higher toxicity on U87 cells compared to pure ZnO NPs, suggesting that doping can enhance the cytotoxic performance of ZnO NPs.