Empowering silver and copper nanoparticles through aqueous fruit extract of Solanum xanthocarpum for sustainable advancements

Abstract

AbstractSilver and copper nanoparticles were biosynthesized from AgNO3 & CuSO4.5H2O solution by using fruits extract of Solanum xanthocarpum. These nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by UV, FTIR, and SEM techniques and evaluated for biological activities. The UV absorption peaks of biosynthesized Ag and CuNPs were observed at 452 nm and 549 nm, respectively. The FTIR analyses of the fruits extracts were carried out to identify the possible classes of chemical compounds responsible for NPs stability and reduction. The crystalline structure and size of NPs were characterized by using SEM. The NPs were tested against some selected pathogenic strains. In the current study, the tested bacterial and fungal strains were found sensitive to biosynthesized Ag and CuNPs at concentrations (25μg/mL, 50μg/mL, 75μg/mL, and 100μg/mL). The overall results show that, the antimicrobial activities of CuNPs were comparatively more potent than AgNPs. Antioxidant activities of Ag and CuNPs were evaluated using the DPPH method. The results showed effective free radical scavenging activities, but AgNPs exhibited more significant activities as compared to CuNPs. Anticancer activities were measured by using the MTT assay, Cell viability was used to determine the cytotoxic activity of NPs using HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. In the present study, the NPs prevented the growth of tumor cells in a dose-dependent manner (5–500μg/mL). With a gradual increase in NPs concentration, the cell viability of cancer cells decreased. The two highest NPs concentrations (100μg/mL & 250μg/mL) significantly decreased cell viability. The results exhibited that AgNPs are more effective than CuNPs. Additionally, they exhibited effective biological activities, making them to be used in medical sector for cancer treatment, sensors, medications delivery, and several other applications.