Potential nanomedicinal applications and physicochemical nature of Hyphaene thebaica-reduced nano-samaria

Herein we described the biofabrication of samarium oxide nanoparticles (HT-Sm₂O₃ NPs) by applying the aqueous fruit extract of Hyphaene thebaica was utilized as an eco-friendly chelating agent. The prepared NPs were subjected to various physicochemical properties and potential in biomedical applications. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern revealed sharp peaks that corroborated with the Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards (JCPDS) card no. 00-042-1464. Crystallite size obtained from Debye-Scherrer approximation and Williamson-Hall (W-H) plot was 28.73 and 69.3 nm, respectively. Optical bandgap was calculated by employing Kubelka-Munk (K-M) function and was found to be ~4.58 eV. Raman shift was observed at 121, 351, 424^-, and 561 cm^-1. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra revealed two major peaks positioned at 360 and 540 nm. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analysis of HT-Sm₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) showed that they predominantly have spherical to cuboidal shapes. Additionally, the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern presented spotty rings, indicating a high level of crystallinity in these NPs. The potential nanomedicine applications were studied using diverse bioassays using different treatments. The antioxidant activity demonstrated 45.71% ± 1.13% inhibition at 1000 μg/mL. Brine shrimp lethality assay revealed the highest cytotoxicity of 46.67% ± 3.33% at 1000 μg/mL and LC₅₀ value of 1081 μg/mL. HT-Sm₂O₃ NPs exhibited inhibition of angiogenesis (20.41% ± 1.18%) at of 1000 μg/mL. MTT assay results indicated that HT-Sm₂O₃ NPs exhibit inhibitory effects on cell lines. Specifically, these NPs showed an IC₅₀ value of 104.6 μg/mL against 3T3 cells. Against MCF-7 cells, the NPs demonstrated an IC₅₀ value of 413.25 μg/mL. Additionally, in the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), the newly synthesized NPs showed an IC₅₀ value of 320 μg/mL. The antidiabetic assessment through α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition assays revealed, an IC₅₀ value of 380 μg/mL for α-glucosidase and 952 μg/mL for α-amylase was calculated. Overall, our study suggested that the Sm₂O₃ NPs possess moderate anticancer, cholinesterase inhibition, and antidiabetic potential, however, needs further assessment. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: In this work, nano-samaria is synthesized using an eco-friendly and green approach. The nanoparticles were characterized using techniques such as Raman, HR-TEM, FTIR, DRS, XRD, and so on, and the applications were studied using multiple in vitro bioassays for Diabetes, Alzheimer, and Cancer. The nano-samaria revealed good potential for potential biomedical applications.