Comparative study of the bioactivities of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum polysaccharides and their corresponding Co–CuO–Ag trimetallic nanoparticles

Abstract

Abstract This study employs polysaccharides (PS) extracted from Mesembryanthemum crystallinum ( M. crystallinum ) as a safe and bio-compatible medium for the synthesis of cobalt (CoNPs), copper oxide (CuONPs), silver (AgNPs), and trimetallic nanoparticles (TMNPs). The nanoparticle synthesis was optimized using UV–visible spectroscopy to determine the optimal conditions, which were found to be 60 °C, a pH of 13, and a reaction time of 60 min. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) confirmed the deposition of nanosized CoNPs, CuONPs, AgNPs, and TMNPs onto a cotton fabric surface, while Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) revealed their spherical morphology with particle size 5–20 nm. In vitro anticancer analyses were performed on breast cancer (MCF-7), human liver cancer (HEPG-2), and normal lung (WI-38) cell lines, the cytotoxic activity of TMNPs was found to be the highest for MCF-7 with a concentration of 14.7 μg/ mL. For HEPG-2, TMNPs recorded highest activity 17.81 μg/ mL, followed by CoNPs 30.53 μg/ mL, CuONPs recorded 33.7 μg/ mL, AgNPs recorded 42.6 μg/ mL, PS recorded 55.98 μg/Ml. Moreover, TMNPs showed enhanced anti-inflammatory activity with Oedema inhibition rates of 87.04% compared to 80.25%, 74.07%, 66.05%, and 56.79% for CuONPs, CoNPs, AgNPs, and polysaccharides, respectively. A wound healing study indicated that TMNPs produced maximum wound area reductions of 85.11%, followed by 79.72% after ten washes. These results underscore M. crystallinum polysaccharides as eco-friendly agents, advancing further innovative biomedical nanotechnology applications.