Anthelmintic activity of biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles using Typha domingensis pers. against Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces

Background Over the past decade, the green synthesis of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles has attracted significant attention due to their simplicity, eco-friendliness, availability and nontoxicity. Furthermore, metal nanoparticles are being investigated for a wide range of applications due to their promising features. Aim The present study aims to evaluate the anthelmintic activity of biosynthesised zinc oxide nanoparticles using Typha domingensis flower extract. Methods The characterization of synthesized ZnO NPs was confirmed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrometry. Also, their protoscolicidal and haemocompatibility properties were tested. Results The creation of ZnO NPs was confirmed by the presence of an absorption peak at 370 nm in the UV–Vis spectrum. Images of XRD, SEM and EDX proved the crystallinity, and the hexagonal-wurtzite structure of the ZnO NPs with a crystallographic size of 60.4 nm, as well as validating the element purity. The ZnO NPs band gap was estimated at 3.29 eV. The results of this study demonstrated that ZnO NPs have potent protoscolicidal effects at all concentrations, with the highest scolicidal activity at 40 µg /ml resulting in a 100% mortality rate after 30 min of exposure. The treated protoscolices displayed viability loss along with many morphological and ultrastructural changes. Conclusion This study reports an effective green synthesis of ZnO NPs with strong scolicidal potential. Additionally, ZnO NPs appeared haemocompatible and had low toxicity towards erythrocytes.