The present work
demonstrated a novel
Cleome simplicifolia
-mediated green fabrication of nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs)
to explore
in vitro
toxicity in Bm-17 and
Labeo rohita
liver cells. As-fabricated bioinspired
NiO NPs were characterized by several analytical techniques. X-ray
diffraction (XRD) revealed a crystalline face-centered-cubic structure.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible
diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS), Raman spectroscopy, and
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed NiO formation. The
chemical composition was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
(EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller
(BET) revealed the mesoporous nature. Scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the formation
of 97 nm diameter nanospheres formed due to the congregation of 10
nm size particles. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed the nearly
isotropic behavior of NiO NPs. Further, a molecular docking study
was performed to explore their toxicity by binding with genetic molecules,
and it was found that the docking energy was about −9.65284
kcal/mol. On evaluating the
in vitro
toxicity of
NiO NPs for Bm-17 cells, the study showed that when cells were treated
with a high concentration of NPs, cells were affected severely by
toxicity, while at a lower concentration, cells were affected slightly.
Further, on using 50 μg/mL, quick deaths of cells were observed
due to the formation of more vacuoles in the cells. The DNA degradation
study revealed that NiO NPs are significantly responsible for DNA
degradation. For further confirmation, trypan blue assay was observed
for cell viability, and morphological assessment was performed using
inverted tissue culture microscopy. Further, the cytotoxicity of NiO
NPs in
L. rohita
liver cells was studied.
No toxicity was observed at 1 mg/L of NiO NPs; however, when the concentration
was 30 and 90 mg/L, dark and shrank hepatic parenchyma was observed.
Hence, the main cause of cell lysis is the increased vacuolization
in the cells. Thus, the present study suggests that the cytotoxicity
induced by NiO NPs could be used in anticancer drugs.