Green Synthesis by Berberine and Biological Evaluation of Fe₂O₃ and FeS Nanoparticles

Fatima Hamdi

doi:10.69923/n8gabj57

Authors

Fatima Hamdi Department of Chemistry, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Diyala, Iraq Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69923/n8gabj57

Keywords:

Green synthesis; Berberine extract; Fe2O3 nanoparticles; FeS nanoparticles; Resazurin MIC; Antioxidant activity; Biosafety.

Abstract

This study demonstrates a green and cost-effective method for fabricating crystalline hematite Fe₂O₃ and iron sulfide FeS nanoparticles using a bioactive alkaline berberine extract. The berberine-coated nanoparticles exhibited high structural integrity and excellent colloidal stability, supported by strong negative zeta potentials of -28.2 mV for Fe₂O₃ and -30.9 mV for FeS. Biologically, both nanostructures demonstrated potent concentration-dependent antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and Escherichia coli: the Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles specifically targeted S. aureus at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 32 µg/ml (a concentration below the MIC of 16 µg/ml). FeS NPs exhibited balanced activity against both strains at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 64 µg/ml (lower MIC: 32 µg/ml). Furthermore, ferric oxide NPs demonstrated superior antioxidant capacity as measured by DPPH (88.4% inhibition vs. 60.5% for ferric sulfide). Importantly, in vitro assays confirmed minimal cytotoxicity (0.52% for ferric oxide and 0.89% for ferric sulfide) at therapeutic concentrations, making them promising platforms for biomedical applications.

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Author Biography

Fatima Hamdi, Department of Chemistry, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Diyala, Iraq

Fatima. A. Al-Hamdi is a Master’s student at the Department of Chemistry, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Diyala, Iraq. He received a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the College of Education for Pure Sciences, Ibn Al-Haytham University of Baghdad. His research interests include nanoscale inorganic materials, their characterization, and biological effectiveness studies. He can be contacted via email. pch.fatimahamdi@uodiyala.edu.iq

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