Dexterous green synthesis of Cu2O nanoparticles: An amenable catalyst for aqueous click reaction, antiproliferative, and wound healing applications

Abstract

The implementation of green chemistry principles to nanotechnology is one of the primary topics in the interdisciplinary area of nanoscience, which is a field of research that is perpetually expanding. A method for synthesizing Cu2O nanoparticles from copper(II) salts in an adroit and tactical way by employing solid jaggery as an economical and readily available source of reducing and stabilizing agent has been established. The explicitly synthesized nanoparticles were also discovered to be effective catalysts for the azide‐alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition (click reaction) in an aqueous media as green solvent. The substrate scope entails synthesis of 1,4‐disubstituted 1,2,3‐triazoles with good to excellent yields. The formation of Cu2O NPs was corroborated by various physicochemical methods like UV‐Visible (UV–Vis), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Zeta potential, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction analyses. The Cu2O NPs were substantiated by evaluation using HeLa, MCF‐7, and MDAMB‐231 (IC50: 72.66 μg ml−1, 47.31, 63.44 μg ml−1) cancer cell lines and unveiled eminent anticancer activities. This study also enabled us to elucidate the effects of Cu2O NPs on wound healing and cell migration.