NEEM-MEDIATED GREEN SYNTHESIS OF ZINC OXIDE NANOPARTICLES: THERAPEUTIC MECHANISMS, ENVIRONMENTAL UTILITY, AND CRITICAL RESEARCH FRONTIERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64013/bbasrjlifess.v2026i1.51Keywords:
Azadirachta indica, green synthesis, ZnO nanoparticles, anticancer, antidiabetic, photocatalysis, antimicrobial, nanotoxicology, protein corona, clinical translation, environmental nanoscienceAbstract
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have emerged at the forefront of nanomaterials chemistry, biomedicine, environmental engineering, and agricultural technology owing to their exceptional physicochemical and biological properties. Among the various synthetic approaches, biogenic fabrication using botanical extracts has gained significant momentum, with Azadirachta indica (neem) emerging as a particularly powerful phytochemical platform. This review critically synthesises five years of primary literature on neem-mediated ZnO NP synthesis and evaluates their applications in antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, antioxidant, wound healing, and photocatalytic contexts, demonstrating that neem-derived ZnO NPs exhibit a superior biological activity profile compared to chemically synthesised counterparts. Five high-priority knowledge gaps are identified and interrogated with actionable research recommendations to guide responsible scientific translation.
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Copyright (c) 2026 T ARIF, S MANZOOR, S YOUNAS, GZ JAHANGIR, MZ SALEEM, N HUSSAIN (Author)
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