Synthesis of chitosan/PVA/copper oxide nanocomposite using Anacardium occidentale extract and evaluating its antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities.

Nanotechnology has witnessed remarkable advancements in recent years, capturing considerable attention in diverse biomedical applications. Using the green precipitation method, this study aims to synthesize and characterize chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol-copper oxide nanocomposites (CS/PVA/CuONCs) using Anacardium occidentale plant fruit extract. The CS/PVA/CuONCs were further evaluated in antioxidant, antibacterial and biological activities. In our study results, UV-Vis spectrum analysis of CS/PVA/CuONCs revealed a peak at 430 nm. FTIR analyses confirmed the presence of different functional groups, while the XRD study confirmed the crystalline structure of the synthesized nanocomposites. FESEM-EDAX analysis demonstrated that the CS/PVA/CuONCs exhibited a spherical and rod-like shape, with an average particle size of 48.6 to 96.2 nm. Notably, CS/PVA/CuONCs exhibited higher antioxidant activity, as evidenced by their ABTS activity (83.79 ± 1.57%) and SOD activity (86.17 ± 1.28%). In antibacterial assays, CS/PVA/CuONCs demonstrated inhibition in Escherichia coli at 20.52 ± 0.85 mm and Bacillus subtilis at 19.64 ± 0.87 mm, displaying a zone of inhibition. The CS/PVA/CuONCs exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory potency against COX-1 (67.10 ± 0.58%) and COX-2 (76.39 ± 0.65%). The antidiabetic assay revealed excellent α-amylase inhibition (80.25 ± 1.29%) and α-glucosidase inhibition (84.74 ± 1.42%) activities. Anti-cholinergic activity of AChE was 65.35 ± 0.98% and BuChE was 82.46 ± 1.15% are observed. CS/PVA/CuONCs was shown to have strong cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cell lines. It also had the highest cell viability inhibition, at 13.66 ± 0.58%. The hemolysis activity was found to be 5.38 ± 0.34%. Overall, the study demonstrated that CS/PVA/CuONCs possess remarkably excellent biological activities.