Green Synthesis of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles, Characterization, and Their Neuroprotective Effect on Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Injury in Human Neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) Cell Line

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO(2)NPs) have a broad scale of applications in the biomedical field due to their excellent physicochemical and catalytic properties. The present study aims to synthesize the CeO(2)NPs from Centella asiatica (C. asiatica) leaf extract, which has been used in Indian traditional medicine for its neuroprotective properties. The CeO(2)NPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy- energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The antioxidant property was evaluated by 2,2-di (4-tert-octyl phenyl)-1-picrylhydrazyl and OH radical assays. The neuroprotective potential was assessed against the oxidative stress (OS) induced by H2O2 in the human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell line. CeO(2)NPs exhibited significant DPPH and OH radical scavenging activity. Our results revealed that CeO(2)NPs significantly increased H2O2-induced cell viability, decreased lactate dehydrogenase, protein carbonyls, reactive oxygen species generation, apoptosis, and upregulated antioxidant enzyme activity. Our findings suggest that the CeO(2)NPs protect the SH-SY5Y cells from OS and apoptosis, which could potentially counter OS-related neurodegenerative disorders.