Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles with Alhagi persarum flowers extract and its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities

Abstract

The green synthesis of nanoparticles using various plant materials expands the horizons of phytochemists while discouraging the use of toxic chemicals. In this paper, we present a low-cost and environmentally friendly method for producing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by using Alhagi persarum flowers (APF) extracts as both a reducing and capping agent for the first time. The bioactive compounds in the extract were characterized using UHPLC-DAD-QqQ-MS/MS, leading to the identification of 18 compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and alkaloids, with a total phenolic content of 12.17±0.16 mg GAE/g and a total flavonoid content of 23.09±0.33 mg RE/g. The surface plasmon resonance band in UV-vis spectroscopy was used to determine the formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the reaction mixture. Fourier transmission infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to identify the active biomolecules responsible for the reduction and the stabilization of AgNPs synthesized in APF extract. The crystalline structure of metallic silver ions and the presence of pure elemental silver ions were revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and EDX analysis, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to determine the morphology and topography of the AgNPs. Additionally, the synthesized AgNPs were found to have antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus), Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and fungus (Candida albicans) clinically isolated human pathogens. Furthermore, the AgNPs were tested for antioxidant activity (DPPH and SO) and cytotoxicity on human breast adenosarcoma cells (MCF-7). Taken together, these results suggest that biosynthesized AgNPs could be used as a potential therapeutic formulation for bacterial infections and breast cancer.