Zoo-mediated CuO Nanoparticles Synthesis Using Sea Urchin Salmacis virgulata (L. Agassiz & Desor, 1846) Test as a Novel Reducing Agent and Evaluated the In silico Antifungal Activity

Nanotechnology provides alternatives to conventional pesticides that result in improved efficacy with a specific target, reduced doses, smart delivery, and protection from natural enemies. The present study aims to investigate the eco-friendly source of zoo-material from sea urchin Salmacis virgulata (L. Agassiz & Desor, 1846) test. This is the first-time study on sea urchin test aqueous extract using zoo-mediated CuO nanoparticle synthesis. The present results of the zoochemicals from the aqueous zoo-extract of the sea urchin S. virgulata test contained 60 zoo-compounds were recorded using GC-MS techniques. S. virgulata test zoochemicals are involved in the reduction of copper ions (Cu2+ into Cu0), which forms sea urchin-mediated copper oxide nanoparticles, and initially UV-visible, FTIR spectra confirmed the formation of Z-CuONPs. The computational study confirms the potential antifungal properties of S. virgulata test zoochemicals and CuO using molecular docking tools. The S. virgulata test recorded it as a novel metal ion-reducing agent and also provided valuable bioactive zoo-compounds, and further study is recommended to investigate the In vitro studies on various aspects of synthesized Z-CuONPs.