Green Synthesis of Pure and Zirconium-Doped Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Using Aqueous Extract of Sanvitalia procumbens, Its Characterization, Antiplatelet and Cytotoxic Activities

The current study was used to achieved the green synthesis of pure with different percentages of zirconium-doped cerium oxide nanoparticles (Zr-doped CeO2 NPs) using an aqueous plant extract of Sanvitalia procumbens. The synthesis of pure NPs was achieved by mixing 30 mL of Ce (NO3)3·6H2O into 10 mL of plant extract and then adding ZrO (NO3)2. xH2O into a reaction mixture to synthesize Zr-doped CeO2 NPs with the variation of x (x = 5%, 10%, and 15%). The phytochemicals present in Sanvitalia procumbens plant extract function as stabilizing and reducing agent which may have ability to synthesize pure and Zr-doped CeO2 NPs. The synthesized NPs were characterized by different analytical techniques, such as UV-visible (UV-Vis), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed that zirconium (Zr) was well doped in CeO2 NPs with a band gap energy of 4.07–4.56 eV. The SEM images demonstrate the irregular morphology with an average particle size range of 26.72, 24.37, 21.24, and 19.12 nm for pure, 5%, 10%, and 15% Zr-doped CeO2 NPs, respectively. The fundamental elemental composition of Zr-doped CeO2 NPs was ascertained by EDX analysis, whereas the PXRD patterns support the crystalline nature of NPs. Furthermore, the synthesized pure and Zr-doped CeO2 NPs were used to analyze the antiplatelet activity that showed dose-dependent antiplatelet potentials. The results revealed that 15% Zr-doped CeO2 NPs showed maximum antiplatelet activity that was 84.24 s at concentrations of 100 μg/mL. Moreover, the IMR32 cell line was also studied to demonstrate the cytotoxicity of pure and Zr-doped CeO2 NPs. Accordingly, Zr-doped CeO2 NPs exhibits higher cytotoxic effects against brain cancer in contrast to undoped CeO2 NPs. Thus, the obtained results suggest the potential use of Zr-doped CeO2 NPs as an industrial application such as in the development of antiplatelet and cytotoxic activity.