Mn3O4 nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization and their antimicrobial and anticancer activity against A549 and MCF-7 cell lines

Due to their inexpensive and eco-friendly nature, and existence of manganese in various oxidation states and their natural abundance have attained significant attention for the formation of Mn3O4 nanoparticles (Mn3O4 NPs). Herein, we report the preparation of Mn3O4 nanoparticles using manganese nitrate as a precursor material by utilization of a precipitation technique. The as-prepared Mn3O4 nanoparticles (Mn3O4 NPs) were characterized by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), High-Resolution Transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The antimicrobial properties of the as-synthesized Mn3O4 nanoparticles were investigated against numerous bacterial and fungal strains including S. aureus, E. coli, B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa, A. flavus and C. albicans. The Mn3O4 NPs inhibited the growth of S. aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 40 μg/ml and C. albicans with a MIC of 15 μg/ml. Furthermore, the Mn3O4 NPs anti-cancer activity was examined using MTT essay against A549 lung and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. The Mn3O4 NPs revealed significant activity against the examined cancer cell lines A549 and MCF-7. The IC50 values of Mn3O4 NPs with A549 cell line was found at concentration of 98 µg/mL and MCF-7 cell line was found at concentration of 25 µg/mL.