In Vitro Assessment on Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Anticancer Traits of Chemically Synthesized Polyaniline/ZrO₂-Ag Nanohybrid

The current study was investigated to assess in vitro antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer attributes of chemically synthesized polyaniline/ZrO₂-Ag (PANI/ZrO₂-Ag) nanohybrid. Initially, a highly efficient PANI/ZrO₂-Ag nanohybrid was produced by chemical oxidative polymerization technique using a standard protocol. The synthesized PANI/ZrO₂-Ag nanohybrid was further characterized by distinct analytical techniques. The XRD analysis confirmed the construction of the monoclinic zirconia phase. FT-IR analysis showed the presence of different functional groups, including benzenoid and quinonoid rings, while the Raman spectrum revealed C ~ C stretching, N–H bending and C-N stretching vibrations, and C-H deformation. HR-SEM and HR-TEM results confirmed rod- and spherical-shaped particles ranging from 47 to 91 nm. In addition to this, morphological analysis designated that polymers were developed on the surface of zirconia-Ag. Antibacterial activity of PANI/ZrO₂-Ag nanohybrid was determined against gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial pathogens using agar well diffusion assay which showed prominent activity against Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli, and Micrococcus luteus with maximum zone of inhibition of 17.6 ± 0.41, 16.3 ± 0.34, and 15.5 ± 0.41 mm, respectively. Antioxidant trait of PANI/ZrO₂-Ag nanohybrid (20–120 µg/mL) was depicted by DPPH radical scavenging assay which exhibited DPPH scavenging of 7.87 ± 1.3 to 50.23 ± 1.5%. Furthermore, the anticancer activity of PANI/ZrO₂-Ag nanohybrid was determined against breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) using MTT assay. Cytotoxicity results showed 53.3 ± 1.5% mortality of cancer cells at 100 µg/mL of PANI/ZrO₂-Ag nanohybrid. In conclusion, outcomes of this study suggested varied pharmaceutical applications of PANI/ZrO₂-Ag nanohybrid in the future.