Carica papaya latex-functionalized biogenic synthesis of cadmium oxide nanoparticles to improve antibacterial, anticancer and photocatalytic applications

The present study reports the green synthesis of cadmium oxide nanoparticles (CdO-NPs) from Carica papaya latex in aqueous medium and their application for antifungal, antibacterial, anticancer and photocatalytic activities. The XRD, UV-visible, SEM-EDS, Raman, XPS, and zeta potential spectroscopy results revealed the formation of stable CdO-NPs with an average size of 35.67 nm. Further, the spherical shape of the CdO-NPs was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The anticancer activity of the CdO-NPs was tested against KB 3 − 1 oral cancer cell line and results showed good anticancer activity with an IC ₅₀ value of 2.69%. Thus, the present study revealed CdO-NPs synthesized from Carica papaya latex acts as an antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, and photocatalytic agents.