Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Chamomile and Green Tea Extracts and Evaluation of Their Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Activity: An In Vitro Study

Background An important field of study in contemporary material science is the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. The wide range of uses for zinc nanoparticles in industries like diagnosis and antimicrobial catalysis has sparked particular interest in them. Plant extracts are used to synthesize zinc nanoparticles, opening up a wide range of potential applications. Hence, the current study aims to demonstrate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles mediated by green tea and chamomile tea combination. Materials and methods Leaves of green tea and chamomile tea were combined in a ratio of 1 gram each. To make a 1-molar solution of the extract, the weighted extracts were thoroughly mixed with 100 ml of distilled water in conical flasks. To synthesize nanoparticles, a magnetic stirrer and an orbital shaker were used alternately with an extract of chamomile and green tea, 0.016 g of zinc oxide, and 90 ml of distilled water at 900 rpm. By using an albumin denaturation assay, the synthesized nanoparticles' anti-inflammatory activity was assessed. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and egg albumin (EA) were the reagents used in the assay. The antioxidant activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles, which is mediated by chamomile and green tea, was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) radical scavenging assays. An independent sample t-test was done to compare the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potentials of zinc oxide nanoparticles mediated by green tea and chamomile tea combination and control using SPSS Statistics version 22.0 software (IBM Corp. Released 2013. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.), and any p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results In this study, the anti-inflammatory activity and antioxidant activity were assessed at variable concentrations of the reaction mixture. The combination of chamomile and green tea extracts mediated by zinc oxide nanoparticles at 50μl concentration showed the maximum anti-inflammatory activity and antioxidant activity at 87% inhibition, respectively. Conclusion Both assays successfully demonstrated better anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles mediated by chamomile and green tea combination when compared to control and, therefore, could be evaluated as a potential therapeutic agent.