Nanoarchitectonics of ZnO Nanoparticles Mediated by Extract of Tulbaghia violacea and Their Cytotoxicity Evaluation

The synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) using plant extracts is an eco-friendly approach, which serves as an alternative method to the conventional chemical and physical routes. This approach avoids the use of toxic chemicals for the development of nanoparticles for environmental purposes in modern nanotechnology. In this study, aqueous leaf extract of Tulbaghia violacea was used as a stabilizing agent to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and its in vitro cytotoxic potential was evaluated. The synthesized ZnO NPs were characterized by techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometer. The morphological studies confirmed that the as-prepared ZnO NPs were spherical in shape, with an average particle diameter of 45.26 nm. PXRD pattern indicated a single phase and crystallinity of the ZnO NPs. In addition, the in vitro assay showed that the biogenic ZnO NPs displayed high cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ value of 4.04 × 10^-1 µg/mL. when exposed to human liver by the modulation of proliferation and inducing apoptosis.