Nickel oxide nanoparticles have gained tremendous attention recently in a variety of scientific domains thanks to their characteristic chemical, physical, optical, and biological properties. Due to the diversity of applications in various fields, different physicochemical methods have been used to synthesize nickel oxide nanoparticles. However, most conventional methods use hazardous chemicals during synthesis and become liable for potential health risks, while others are expensive and require a lot of energy to synthesize nanoparticles. As a result, the nanoparticles become less biocompatible and biologically inefficient. Biogenic synthesis of nanoparticles is currently proposed as a valuable alternative to the physical and chemical methods, as it is a simple, non-toxic, cheap, green and facile approach. This synthetic method uses biological substrates such as plant extracts, microorganisms, and other biological products to synthesize nickel oxide nanoparticles. The various phytochemicals from plant extracts, enzymes or proteins from microorganisms, and other biological derivatives play as reducing, stabilizing, and capping agents to provide bioactive and biocompatible nickel oxide nanoscale material. This review discusses current findings and trends in the biogenic synthesis of nickel oxide nanoparticles and their biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, antileishmanial, and anticancer, with an emphasis on antimicrobial and anticancer activity along with their mechanistic elucidation. Overall, this thorough study provides insight into the possibilities for the future development of green nickel oxide nanoparticles as therapeutic agents for a variety of ailments.
Keywords: anticancer activity; antileishmanial activity; antimicrobial activity; biogenic synthesis; nickel oxide nanoparticles.
© 2023 Berhe and Gebreslassie.