Green Synthesis of Cobalt Oxide Nanoparticles with In-vitro Cytotoxicity Assessment Using Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Seed Oil: A Promising Approach for Antimicrobial and Anticancer Applications

Abstract

Green synthesis of nanoparticles and their pharmacological implementation have gained importance in the field of nanotechnology. This study primarily aims to explore the use of Punica granatum L. seed oil as a reducing agent for the synthesis of cobalt nanoparticles, making it both economically and pharmacologically valuable. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis was carried out to study the active metabolites present in P. granatum seed oil. The green synthesis of cobalt nanoparticles was established based on the color change of the reaction mixture from dark green to light green. These particles showed a ?max at 279.88 nm for UV-visible spectrometry analysis. Furthermore, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE SEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) were performed to confirm the nature of these nanoparticles. The pharmacological potential of these cobalt oxide nanoparticles was tested against microbial pathogens. The results suggest that these nanoparticles exhibited significant activity against various human bacterial and fungal pathogens. Additionally, in in vitro cytotoxicity analysis, demonstrated that CoONPs selectively targeted MCF-7 cancer cells with a significant IC50 value compared to non-cancerous cells (L929). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that green synthesized CoONPs using P. granatum show significant potential against eukaryotic cancer cells and microbial pathogens. Furthermore, this study has implications for medical research centers and pharmaceutical industries in addressing modern challenges such as increasing antibiotic resistance in communities.