Liquid phase preparation and characterization of MgO nanoparticles and their butchery activities against dental bacterial pathogens and human cervical cancer cell line

Abstract

A novel method for synthesizing nanomaterials involves microbial or phytochemical nano-factories, which offer an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and reliable approach to producing clean and reproducible products. In this study, magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) were synthesized using Avicennia marina, a marine plant, as both a nucleation and stabilizing agent. The MgO NPs were characterized for crystallinity, cut-off wavelength, morphology, thermal stability, and surface properties using XRD, EDX, BET, UV–Visible spectroscopy, DLS, zeta potential analysis, SEM, TEM, TGA/DTA, and PL spectroscopy. Using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, the specific surface area of the MgO nanoparticles was determined to be 97.248 m²/g. The optical band gap energy of the MgO nanoparticles that corresponded to the highest absorption peak was determined to be 5.8 eV. Additionally, the antimicrobial, scavenging, and antioxidant activities of the MgO NPs were evaluated against dental bacterial pathogens. To explore anticancer potential, the MgO NPs were tested on a cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) using an MTT assay, which revealed that cytotoxicity increased with higher MgO NP concentrations. MgO nanoparticles were applied at concentrations of 25 μg/mL, 50 μg/mL, 75 μg/mL, and 100 μg/mL to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity observed at an IC50 concentration of 56.54 μg/mL is primarily influenced by factors such as the small size, increased surface-to-volume ratio, oxygen vacancies, and the morphology of the nanoparticles. This interdisciplinary study contributes to the understanding of MgO NPs and their multifunctional potential in combating dental infections and cervical cancer.