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Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) attract much attention due to their excellent biocompatibility and catalytic properties, but their toxic effects on normal (CHANG) and cancerous (HuH‐7) human liver cells are meagre. The cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of PtNPs (average size, 3 nm) were determined in CHANG and HuH‐7 cells. After treating these cells were with PtNPs (10, 50, 100, 200, and 300 μg/mL) for 24 and 48 hours, we observed dose‐ and time‐dependent cytotoxicity, as evaluated by using (3‐[4, 5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2, 5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide, a tetrazole) (MTT) and neutral red uptake (NRU) assays. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was increased in both cells after treatment with the above dose of PtNPs for 24 and 48 hours. Determination of morphological changes of cells, chromosome condensation, mitochondrial membrane potential, and caspase‐3 assays showed that PtNPs induce cytotoxicity and apoptosis in CHANG and HuH‐7 cells by altering the cell morphology and density, increasing cell population in apoptosis, and causing chromosome condensation. Furthermore, we have studied fragmentation of DNA using alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis and expression of apoptotic genes by real‐time PCR (RT‐PCR). The percentage of DNA fragmentation was more at 300 μg/mL for 48 hours in both cells, but slightly more fragmentation was found in HuH‐7 relative to CHANG cells. Considering all of the above parameters, PtNPs elicited cytotoxicity on CHANG and HuH‐7 cells by blocking cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. Thus this study may be useful in in vitro laboratory studies using cell lines for screening the genotoxic and apoptotic potential of nanoparticles.

At present, chemical Si/Al sources are mainly used as precursor materials for the manufacturing of zeolites. Such precursor materials are quite expensive for commercial synthesis. Here, we have reported the synthesis of Ca-based zeolite from incense stick ash waste by the alkali-treatment method for the first time. Incense stick ash (ISA) was used as a precursor material for the synthesis of low Si zeolites by the alkali-treatment method. The as-synthesized zeolites were characterized by various instruments like particle size analyzer (PSA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), electron diffraction spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). FTIR and XRD helped in the identification of the microstructure and crystalline nature of the zeolites and also confirmed the synthesis of Ca-based zeolite with two thetas at 25.7°. The microscopic analysis by FESEM and TEM exhibited that the size of synthesized Ca-rich zeolites varies from 200 to 700 nm and they are aggregated and cuboidal in shape. Additionally, structural, electronic, and density of states’ characteristics of gismondine (Ca2Al4Si4O16·9H2O) structures were evaluated by computational simulations (first principle, density functional theorem). The structural optimization of structures was carried out in the first stage under the lowest condition of total energy and forces acting on atoms for the lattice constant, as well as the available experimental and theoretical findings. The present research approach predicted the transformation of ISA waste into a value-added mineral, i.e., zeolite, which was further used for the removal of both heavy metals and alkali metals from fly ash-based wastewater using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES).

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