EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT EFFECTS OF ZINC DOPED COPPER OXIDE NANOPARTICLES

ABSTRACT This study reports the successful synthesis and characterization of zinc-doped copper oxide nanoparticles (Zn-CuO NPs) against some clinical microorganisms. The structural and morphological properties of the nanoparticles were thoroughly examined using advanced characterization techniques such as Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX). These methods gave comprehensive information of the nanoparticles' particle size, shape, and structure. Also, the antimicrobial and the antioxidant properties of the nanoparticles were tested against a range of microorganisms. The antimicrobial efficacy was evaluated by determining the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) for each microorganism. The obtained result revealed that all ten tested microorganisms namely; (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Candida albican, Candida krusei, Klebsiella pneumonia, proteus mirabilis, shigella sonei, Salmonella enterica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were susceptible to the Zn-CuO NPs, demonstrating broad-spectrum activity. The antioxidant activity of the synthesized nanoparticles evaluated using the DPPH assay indicated concentration-dependent radical scavenging activity, with Zn-CuO NPs which confirmed that the synthesized nanoparticles exhibited significant antioxidant activity. This suggests that copper doped zinc oxide nanoparticles could be effective antimicrobial agents, especially when addressing antibiotic resistance problem, thus, this study warrant further investigation in nanomedicine and antibacterial treatment development.