Research Information System
Inorganic and Nano-Metal Chemistry, vol.56, no.4, pp.294-311, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Hybrid organic–inorganic copper nanoflowers (NFs) were synthesized using Alkanna cappadocica aerial parts and Cu2+ ions. Based on interactions between plant-derived compounds and metal ions, these NFs successfully encapsulated bioactive molecules, as evidenced by a significant decrease in total phenolic and flavonoid content. Characterization confirmed the formation of these structures, which exhibited remarkably enhanced biological activities. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used for morphological and elemental analyses, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) characterized crystal structure and functional groups. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential analyses confirmed micron-scale size distribution NFs. The NFs showed strong antioxidant activity and a time-dependent increase in peroxidase-like activity, which were not observed in the extracts. Furthermore, both antiparasitic and antimicrobial activities were significantly boosted. For instance, NFs prepared from chloroform extract (APC-NFs) demonstrated a considerably lower antileishmanial 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) IC50 value (68.7 µg mL−1) compared to the chloroform extract (APC) (367.06 µg mL−1). Likewise, NFs exhibited improved antimicrobial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 8 to 32 µg mL−1, compared to 64–256 µg mL−1 for the plant extracts. These results underscore the potential of these hybrid NFs as potent multifunctional agents.