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A brand new environmentally pleasant methodology produces cerium oxide nanodots with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer exercise via using debranched starch derived from Curcuma longa.
Research: Curcuma longa debranched starch assisted synthesis of cerium oxide nanoparticles and its antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-biofilm actions. Picture Credit score:ultramansk/Shutterstock.com
The work, revealed in Scientific Stories, demonstrates how plant-based supplies may be harnessed to create extremely useful nanomaterials whereas lowering reliance on harsh chemical substances and energy-intensive processes.
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Nanoparticles are more and more utilized in medication, catalysis, and environmental functions, however many typical synthesis strategies depend on excessive temperatures, poisonous solvents, and complicated processing steps.
Inexperienced synthesis approaches purpose to scale back these drawbacks by utilizing biodegradable, renewable supplies that may act as each lowering and stabilizing brokers.
Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs), often known as nanoceria, are of specific curiosity as a result of their organic exercise relies upon strongly on particle measurement, floor chemistry, and oxidation state.
Earlier research have proven that green-synthesized nanoceria can exhibit selective toxicity towards most cancers cells whereas sparing wholesome cells, motivating efforts to develop safer and extra controllable manufacturing routes.
The First Use of Debranched Curcuma longa Starch
On this research, researchers report for the primary time using debranched Curcuma longa starch to synthesize cerium oxide nanodots through a sol-gel-based inexperienced method. Debranched starch performs a number of roles: it reduces cerium ions, stabilizes rising nanoparticles, and prevents aggregation throughout synthesis.
This technique produced well-dispersed, spherical cerium oxide nanodots with a slim measurement distribution of 2-4 nm, dimensions which are tough to realize persistently utilizing conventional chemical routes.
Cautious Characterization of the Nanodots
The researchers used a complete set of analytical methods to verify nanoparticle formation and construction. UV/Vis spectroscopy revealed attribute absorption options related to cerium oxide nanostructures, reported between 315 nm and roughly 350 nm throughout totally different sections of the research.
Fourier remodel infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) recognized chemical interactions between cerium oxide and starch-derived useful teams, whereas X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the crystalline, cubic fluorite construction of CeO2.
Excessive-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed uniformly spherical nanodots within the 2-4 nm vary. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated the coexistence of Ce3+ and Ce4+ oxidation states, together with oxygen vacancies, options identified to drive nanoceria’s redox exercise.
Organic testing confirmed that the cerium oxide nanodots possess sturdy antioxidant exercise. In normal radical scavenging assays, the nanoparticles exhibited IC50 values of three.2 ± 0.23 µg/mL for DPPH and three.66 ± 0.18 µg/mL for ABTS, outperforming widespread antioxidant references.
This exercise is linked to reversible biking between Ce3+ and Ce4+ ions on the nanoparticle floor. The authors emphasize that this redox habits is context-dependent: cerium oxide nanoparticles can act as antioxidants or pro-oxidants relying on their surroundings, focus, and organic goal.
Antibacterial and Anti-Biofilm Results
The nanodots additionally demonstrated antibacterial exercise in opposition to a spread of clinically related pathogens, together with Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella typhi.
Extra notably, anti-biofilm exercise was noticed primarily in opposition to E. coli and C. diphtheriae, organisms identified for forming persistent biofilms that resist typical antibiotics. Microscopy and mechanistic evaluation recommend that reactive oxygen species era and membrane disruption play key roles on this impact.
To discover anticancer potential, the researchers evaluated cytotoxicity in opposition to HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells utilizing the MTT assay. The cerium oxide nanodots confirmed a transparent dose-dependent response, with an IC50 of 178 ± 14 µg/mL.
The proposed mechanism includes modulation of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and activation of apoptotic pathways. Whereas prior research recommend that nanoceria might preferentially have an effect on most cancers cells over regular cells, the authors be aware that this selectivity was indirectly examined right here.
Encouraging Security Indicators with Clear Limits
Past efficacy, the research additionally examined hemocompatibility. Purple blood cell hemolysis assays confirmed that the nanodots lowered membrane injury brought on by disruptive brokers, indicating favorable blood compatibility.
Nonetheless, the authors are cautious to emphasize that each one findings are primarily based on in vitro experiments. Additional mechanistic research, in vivo testing, and long-term security assessments will probably be required earlier than biomedical or medical functions may be thought of.
By combining plant-derived starch chemistry with cerium oxide nanotechnology, the work highlights a viable path towards extra sustainable nanoparticle synthesis with out sacrificing performance. The outcomes reinforce the concept inexperienced synthesis strategies can produce nanomaterials with exact measurement management, wealthy floor chemistry, and broad organic exercise.
The research provides each a brand new synthesis technique and a reminder that sustainability and efficiency needn’t be at odds.
Journal Reference
Sana S.S. et al. (2026). Curcuma longa debranched starch-assisted synthesis of cerium oxide nanoparticles and their antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-biofilm actions. Scientific Stories (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-35249-3, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-35249-3
