“Moringa oleifera cellulose nanocrystals scaffold ZnO for enhanced biocompatibility and diabetic enzyme regulation”

Cellulose nanocrystals from Moringa oleifera (MO-CNC) enable a novel, sustainable synthesis of MO-CNC–ZnO nanohybrid, representing the first integration of this plant-derived scaffold with ZnO for advanced biomedical utility. Structural analyses reveal groundbreaking hybridization effects: XRD confirms reduced crystallite size (7.69 nm vs. 20.40 nm for pristine ZnO) and heightened crystallinity (88.65%), while FTIR/EDS validate uniform functionalization. TEM/SAED display defined morphologies with crystalline domains, and optimized band gap for superior stability and dispersity. This platform delivers potent α-amylase (IC50 = 43.64 µg/mL) and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 49.54 µg/mL) inhibition, comparable to acarbose (IC50 = 42.61 µg/mL and 42.8 µg/mL, respectively). Robust antioxidant activity (84% DPPH scavenging), anti-inflammatory effects through IL-2/TNF-α/COX-2 downregulation and TGF-β upregulation, accelerated wound closure (83% at 24 h), and selective cytotoxicity against PANC-1 cells. Notably, it exhibits enhanced biocompatibility over pristine ZnO, multi-species hemocompatibility testing confirmed exceptional blood safety (