Vol 12, Issue 1, 2019 Online - 2455-3891 Print - 0974-2441 BIOFABRICATION OF ZINC OXIDE NANOPARTICLES USING PTEROCARPUS MARSUPIUM AND ITS BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS SHYMALA RAJAN ABHINAYA, RAMAKRISHNAN PADMINI* Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Email: padmini.sls@velsuniv.ac.in Received: 24 July 2018, Revised and Accepted: 25 September 2018 ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of the study is to perform the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using the bark extract of Pterocarpus marsupium and to evaluate its biomedical applications. Methods: Various concentrations of zinc acetate are used, and synthesis conditions were optimized to get a stable nanoparticle. The finest synthesis condition for zinc oxide nanoparticle production was at pH 7 with 20 ml extract, zinc acetate 10 mM, and 120 min of reaction time. The synthesized nanopowder was characterized using various analytical techniques, such as ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The synthesized nanoparticles were tested for their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, and inhibition of amylase activity. Results: The size range of nanoparticles obtained was in the range of 10–32 nm as reported by SEM. The UV-visible absorption spectrum of the synthesized nanoparticle showed a peak at 340 nm, which confirmed the presence of nanoparticles. FTIR spectroscopy analysis indicated the presence of zinc oxide stretching at 666.22 cm -1 . Further, the IR spectra indicated the presence of alcohols and acids, which can act as capping agents around the nanoparticles. XRD analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticle showed appreciable antimicrobial activity. Zinc oxide nanoparticles at 40 μg/well were tested against phytopathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger showed 16, 13, 15, and 16 mm zones of inhibition, respectively. The synthesized nanoparticle showed a considerable increase in inhibition of lipid peroxidation and amylase activity. The nanoparticle also exhibited appreciable anti-inflammatory activity measured by the inhibition of albumin denaturation. Conclusion: The study instigates the simple and convenient method of synthesizing zinc oxide nanoparticles using P. marsupium and its few biomedical applications. Keywords: Zinc oxide, Nanoparticles, Pterocarpus marsupium, Anti-inflammatory, Antimicrobial, Lipid peroxidation, Amylase inhibition. INTRODUCTION Nanotechnology is the science about the synthesis of nanosized materials of variable size, shapes, chemical composition, and its potential use for human benefits [1-3]. The various types of nanoparticles include the metal nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, and polymer nanoparticles. Of these, the metal oxide nanoparticles comprise the most versatile one, owing to the metal oxide’s stability, improved unique physical and chemical properties, and diversity in functionalities. Recently, nanotechnology has immense application in the field of life sciences and medical sciences with special emphasis on biomedical devices and as therapeutics [4]. Nanoparticles synthesized using physical and chemical methods are pure, well-defined but pose certain limitations such as environmental threats and high cost, whereas the biological methods are cost-effective and eco-friendly. The green synthesis of nanoparticles is achieved using plants and their derivatives and microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, algae, and yeast. Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb., a plant belonging to Fabaceae, is traditionally used in ayurvedic system for the treatment of diabetes [5]. P. marsupium is, also commonly known as Malabar kino or Indian kino tree or Vijayasar., The plant is a medium-to-large, deciduous tree that can grow up to 30 m (98 ft) tall. It is indigenous to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The plant exhibits many pharmacological activities that include hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anti- inflammatory activities [5,6]. The plant decreases the opacity index of the diabetic retina, thus proving its anticataract activity [7]. It reduces inflammation by inhibiting cyclooxygenase 2 and thus decreasing the prostaglandin 2 production [8]. So far the plant has not been subjugated for nanoparticle fabrication and its application. This study emphasizes the production, characterization, and few of its biomedical applications of green-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles using P. marsupium. METHODS Collection of plant The plant material P. marsupium was collected in and around Chennai and authenticated by Dr. P. Jayaraman, Plant Anatomy Research Centre, Chennai, India (voucher specimen no: PARC/2017/3307). Preparation of zinc oxide nanoparticles using P. marsupium Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using zinc acetate dihydrate Zn(CH 3 COO) 2 ·2H 2 O as described previously by Gnanasangeetha and Thambavani 2013 [9] with slight modifications. Dried bark was ground to yield coarse powder, and 20 g of which was boiled in 100 ml of double- distilled water for 15 min. The aqueous extract was then cooled, filtered using Whatman No.1 filter paper, and stored at 4°C for further use. Synthesis and optimization of zinc oxide nanoparticles 20% aqueous extract with increasing concentrations of zinc acetate (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 mM) was used to optimize the synthesis. The © 2019 The Authors. Published by Innovare Academic Sciences Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by/4. 0/) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22159/ajpcr.2019.v12i1.28682 Research Article