Harnessing chia seed polysaccharides for green synthesis of copper-based nanoparticles with antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities
9 affiliations
- 1Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
- 2Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, INTI International University, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
- 3Research Chair of Biomedical Applications of Nanomaterials, Biochemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
- 4Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
- 5Department of Food Sciences & Nutrition, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- 6Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America.
- 7Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Químicas, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile.
- 8Núcleo de Estudios Ambientales, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile.
- 9Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus and chronic inflammation are global health issues, exacerbated by the incomplete control of metabolic-inflammatory pathways and the adverse effects of long-term pharmacotherapy. The development of multifunctional therapeutic nanomaterials via green nanotechnology has recently garnered attention. In this study, we synthesized copper-based nanoparticles (Cu NPs) using Salvia hispanica (chia) seed-derived polysaccharides and characterized their in vitro anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic activities, as well as in vivo antidiabetic effects in an alloxan-induced diabetic mouse model. Successful formation of polysaccharide-based Cu NPs was confirmed using UV-Visible, FTIR, XRD, and SEM analyses. Hemocompatibility assessment showed concentration-dependent hemolysis by Cu NPs (0.92 ± 0.06%, 5.71 ± 0.44%, and 8.42 ± 0.63% at the respective tested concentrations), indicating reduced hemocompatibility at higher concentrations. In the HRBC membrane stabilization assay, Cu NPs exhibited dose-dependent inhibition of hemolysis (45.83 ± 1.7% to 70.59 ± 2.1%), while heat hemolysis was reduced by 72.91 ± 1.5% at 1000 µg/mL. Enzyme inhibition studies showed significant inhibition of α-amylase (58.45 ± 0.7% to 87.20 ± 2.1%) and α-glucosidase (83.87 ± 1.6% at 1000 µg/mL) compared to acarbose. Glucose uptake in yeast cells increased to 59.87 ± 0.3% at 1000 µg/mL. In alloxan-induced diabetic mice, Cu NPs (150 mg/kg) reduced fasting blood glucose from 287 ± 4.2 to 131 ± 7.02 mg/dL over 30 days and improved lipid profiles (e.g., decreased total cholesterol to 85 ± 1.3 mg/dL and increased HDL to 39.8 ± 1.2 mg/dL). Histopathological analyses showed restoration of pancreatic and hepatic architecture. Collectively, chia seed polysaccharide-mediated copper-based nanoparticles exhibited anti-hyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, and lipid-modulating activities under the investigated experimental conditions, supporting their further evaluation for diabetes-related applications.
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BibTeX
@article{khan2026harnessing,
title = {{Harnessing chia seed polysaccharides for green synthesis of copper-based nanoparticles with antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities}},
author = {Farzana Khan and Yusra Jamil and Raeesa Wajid and Adnan Khan and Muhammad Yaseen and Douglas Law and Mostafa A Abdel-Maksoud and Saeedah Almutairi and Wahidah H Al-Qahtani and Waheed Ahmad and Patricio R De Los Ríos-Escalante and Ayaz Ahmad},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0361692},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361692},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Harnessing chia seed polysaccharides for green synthesis of copper-based nanoparticles with antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities
AU - Farzana Khan
AU - Yusra Jamil
AU - Raeesa Wajid
AU - Adnan Khan
AU - Muhammad Yaseen
AU - Douglas Law
AU - Mostafa A Abdel-Maksoud
AU - Saeedah Almutairi
AU - Wahidah H Al-Qahtani
AU - Waheed Ahmad
AU - Patricio R De Los Ríos-Escalante
AU - Ayaz Ahmad
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0361692
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361692
AB - Diabetes mellitus and chronic inflammation are global health issues, exacerbated by the incomplete control of metabolic-inflammatory pathways and the adverse effects of long-term pharmacotherapy. The development of multifunctional therapeutic nanomaterials via green nanotechnology has recently garnered attention. In this study, we synthesized copper-based nanoparticles (Cu NPs) using Salvia hispanica (chia) seed-derived polysaccharides and characterized their in vitro anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic activities, as well as in vivo antidiabetic effects in an alloxan-induced diabetic mouse model. Successful formation of polysaccharide-based Cu NPs was confirmed using UV-Visible, FTIR, XRD, and SEM analyses. Hemocompatibility assessment showed concentration-dependent hemolysis by Cu NPs (0.92 ± 0.06%, 5.71 ± 0.44%, and 8.42 ± 0.63% at the respective tested concentrations), indicating reduced hemocompatibility at higher concentrations. In the HRBC membrane stabilization assay, Cu NPs exhibited dose-dependent inhibition of hemolysis (45.83 ± 1.7% to 70.59 ± 2.1%), while heat hemolysis was reduced by 72.91 ± 1.5% at 1000 µg/mL. Enzyme inhibition studies showed significant inhibition of α-amylase (58.45 ± 0.7% to 87.20 ± 2.1%) and α-glucosidase (83.87 ± 1.6% at 1000 µg/mL) compared to acarbose. Glucose uptake in yeast cells increased to 59.87 ± 0.3% at 1000 µg/mL. In alloxan-induced diabetic mice, Cu NPs (150 mg/kg) reduced fasting blood glucose from 287 ± 4.2 to 131 ± 7.02 mg/dL over 30 days and improved lipid profiles (e.g., decreased total cholesterol to 85 ± 1.3 mg/dL and increased HDL to 39.8 ± 1.2 mg/dL). Histopathological analyses showed restoration of pancreatic and hepatic architecture. Collectively, chia seed polysaccharide-mediated copper-based nanoparticles exhibited anti-hyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, and lipid-modulating activities under the investigated experimental conditions, supporting their further evaluation for diabetes-related applications.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -