Investigation on the influence of silver doping on structural and biomedical properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized using crude ethanolic extract of Adiantum venustum D. Don

Two compounds of silver-doped zinc oxide (Ag doped ZnO) with varying concentrations (Ag_xZn_1-xO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized in the presence of crude ethanolic extract of Adiantum venustum. X-ray diffraction analysis verifies the hexagonal wurtzite structure formed for both silver-doped compounds (AgZnO-C1 and AgZnO-C2) and the wurtzite structure for zinc oxide (ZnO-C). The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis corresponds with the grain size of ZnO-C (60.65 ± 0.84 nm), AgZnO-C1 (84.80 ± 1.95 nm), and AgZnO-C2 (121.55 ± 2.74 nm) nanoparticles. Further, the crude ethanolic extract of A. venustum and fabricated nanomaterials were examined for their antioxidant [DPPH, FRAP, and reducing power assays], anti-inflammatory [BSA and EAA], antimicrobial [disc diffusion, poison food technique, and MIC assay], and anticancer activity (MTT assay) against the HeLa cell line. Among all the fabricated nanoparticles, AgZnO-C1 has emerged as an intriguing biomedical agent in all biological functions. The study revealed AgZnO-C1 as a possible antioxidant agent with significantly lower IC₅₀ values (DPPH 37.89 ± 0.33 µg/mL, FRAP 49.89 ± 0.14 µM Fe equivalent, reducing power 32.52 ± 0.67 µg/mL). AgZnO-C1 has emerged as a potential antimicrobial agent against selected bacterial and fungal strains. These synthesized nanoparticles have substantial biological capabilities and can be employed in many medical applications.