Bioinspired Porous ZnO Nanomaterials from Fungal Polysaccharides: Advanced Materials with Unprecedented Low Toxicity in Vitro for Human Cells

Mechanochemically synthesized ZnO-polysaccharide nanohybrids prepared from fungal polysaccharides were proved to exhibit remarkable surface properties and structures for biomedical applications. The synthesized ZnO nanomaterials possessed an unprecedented low cytotoxicity against human cell lines A549 and SH-SYSY (EC50: 50-100 mu g mL(-1)) as compared to commercial ZnO nanomaterials due to the stability and low release of Zn2+ and reduced interaction nanoparticle/cells due to the high biocompatibility of the nanohybrids.