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The usage of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) is now acknowledged as a promising therapeutic agent in the detection and treatment of cancer. This study aimed to develop a sustainable method for synthesizing CuNPs using Pedalium murex L. and characterization by SEM, FTIR, XRD & UV-Vis methods. The produced CuNPs were primarily spherical and varied in shape, and the average dimension ranged between 20 and 50 nm. The aqueous fruit juice of Pedalium murex L. contained biomolecules that serve as capping and reducing agents for the production of CuNPs, according to the findings of FTIR analysis. Various assays were used to determine the fruit extract's in vitro antioxidant activity. CuNPs exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity and apoptosis promotion in A549 cells. The findings demonstrated that biosynthesized CuNPs using Pedalium murex L. fruit juice have anti-cancer properties and can be used in lung cancer treatment, particularly for early-stage intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antioxidant, antiplatelet, and cytoxoxic effects of seven South African plant extracts, namely, Combretum vendae A.E. van Wyk (Combretaceae), Commiphora harveyi (Engl.) Engl. (Burseraceae), Khaya anthotheca (Welm.) C.DC (Meliaceae), Kirkia wilmsii Engl. (Kirkiaceae), Loxostylis alata A. Spreng. ex Rchb. (Anacardiaceae), Ochna natalitia (Meisn.) Walp. (Ochnaceae), and Protorhus longifolia (Bernh. Ex C. Krauss) Engl. (Anacardiaceae), were evaluated using established in vitro assays. All the extracts showed comparably low toxicity except for the extract of C. harveyi that showed high hemagluttination assay titer value, which indicates toxicity. The extracts of P. longifolia, K. wilmsii, O. natalitia, L. alata, C. harveyi, and C. vendae exhibited antioxidant properties in the qualitative assay using DPPH. In the quantification of antioxidation using ABTS, only the extracts of P. longifolia, L. alata, and C. vendae showed antioxidant activity with respective TEAC values of 1.39, 1.94, and 2.08. Similarly, in the quantitative DPPH assay, L. alata (EC50, 3.58 ± 0.23 µg/mL) and K. wilmsii (EC50, 3.57 ± 0.41 µg/mL) did not differ significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) from the control. K. anthotheca showed a higher EC50 (176.40 ± 26.56 µg/mL) value, and differed significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) from all the other extracts and control. In addition, the extracts of C. vendae and C. harveyi showed significant ( p ≤ 0.05) antiplatelet activity and did not differ from the control (aspirin) with EC50 of 0.06 ± 0.01 µg/mL and 0.19 ± 0.00 µg/mL, respectively. Lower EC50 values in the antioxidant and antiplatelet studies are indicative of superior activity of the plant extract against oxidation and platelet aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]