Green Synthesis of Phosphorous-Containing Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles (nHAP) as a Novel Nano-Fertilizer: Preliminary Assessment on Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

Abstract

Nano-fertilizers are innovative materials created by nanotechnology methodologies that may potentially replace traditional fertilizers due to their rapid absorption and controlled distribution of nutrients in plants. In the current study, phosphorous-containing hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nHAP) were synthesized as a novel phosphorus nano-fertilizer using an environmentally friendly green synthesis approach using pomegranate peel (PPE) and coffee ground (CE) extracts. nHAPs were physicochemically characterized and biologically evaluated utilizing the analysis of biochemical parameters such as photosynthetic activity, carbohydrate levels, metabolites, and biocompatibility changes in Punica granatum L. Cytocompatibility with mammalian cells was also investigated based on MTT assay on a Vero cell line. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential analysis were used to characterize the nHAPs for size and surface charge as well as morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nHAPs were found to have different shapes with average sizes of 229.6 nm, 120.6 nm (nHAPs_PPE) and 167.5 nm, 153 nm (nHAPs_CE) using DLS and TEM, respectively. Overall, the present results showed that the synthesized nHAPs had a negative impact on the selected biochemical, cytotoxic, and genotoxic parameters, indicating that the evaluation of nHAP synthesized by this approach has a wide range of applications, especially as a nano-fertilizer.

Recent Advances in Plant-Mediated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles with Their Significant Biomedical Properties

“…There are several functional groups in plant phytoconstituents, such as hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amine, that react with metal ions to reduce their size to a nanometer and it is believed that the -OH group in flavonoids is responsible for the reduction of metal ions into NPs. Furthermore, these compounds not only facilitate the biological reduction of ions to nanoscale sizes, but also facilitate the capping of nanoparticles, which are necessary for the stability and biocompatibility of nanoparticles [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. The top-down approach can be implemented in several ways such as laser ablation, chemical etching, sputtering, mechanical milling, and so on [ 34 ].…”

Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Aqueous Citrus limon Zest Extract: Characterization and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties

“…On the other hand, many studies have reported that the antibacterial activity of NPs is frequently caused by the release of ions, such the silver ions, that are often responsible for antimicrobial toxicity, but other factors and mechanisms may also be involved [105]. Due to their electrochemical potential, NPs are dissolved in solutions and release metal ions that interact with a bacterial cell and become uniformly dispersed in the bacterial cell, with no specific localization [106,107]. Furthermore, Ag+ has been proposed to enter the cell via cation-selective porins, providing another potential pathway for Ag+ to enter the cell to disrupt the process of cellular respiration and produce toxicity [108].…”

Urea-Loaded Hydroxyapatite–Carboxylated Cellulose Composites as Slow-Release N Fertilizer Pellets for Efficient Delivery of Nitrogen

“…Hydroxyapatite [Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 ] nanoparticles are rated as one of the prominent platform carriers for the immobilization of macronutrients owing to their rich surface chemistry and abundant surface reactive functional groups. It is also a rich source of phosphorus and can be used in the field of agriculture as a phosphorus source for the plants. – …”