A comparative study of in vivo toxicity in zebrafish embryos synthesized CuO nanoparticles characterized from Salacia reticulata.

The Salacia reticulata, a medicinal woody climbing shrub, was utilized for our study, the green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles, which were analyzed through SEM, EDX, FTIR, XRD, and UV‒Vis spectroscopy. This study assessed the toxicity to zebrafish embryos and explored the antibacterial, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties of the synthesized nanoparticles. In results, the UV absorption of the CuO NPs showed that the intensity of nanoparticle green colloidal suspension changed from blue to green, which also confirmed that the spectrum of the green CuO NPs changed from colorless to black. in FT-IR and XRD spectral analysis to identify functional groups and determine the particle size of CuO NPs prepared by green and chemical methods. Its showed that CuO NPs (green) had a size of approximately 42.2 nm, while CuO NPs (chemical) had a size of approximately 84 nm. The morphology of these NPs was analyzed using SEM-EDX. Compared with their chemically prepared counterparts, the green-synthesized CuO nanoparticles demonstrated superior dispersion. Additionally, both green and chemical CuO nanoparticles at a concentration of 200 µL/mL caused developmental anomalies and increased mortality in zebrafish embryos and larvae. The green and chemical CuO NPs inhibited α-glucosidase enzyme activity at concentrations between 10 and 50 µL/mL, with IC values of 22 µL/mL and 26 µL/mL, respectively. The extract exhibited anti-inflammatory activity, with IC values of 274 and 109 µL/mL. The authors concluded that this green nanoparticle method has potential as a more eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to traditional synthetic methods. NPs are widely used in human contact fields (medicine and agriculture), hence synthesis methods that do not involve toxic substances are becoming increasingly important.