Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles via Pulicaria undulata and an Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Cytotoxic Activities

Abstract

Nanoparticle engineering via plants (green synthesis) is a promising eco-friendly technique. In this work, a green protocol was applied to the preparation of silver, zinc, and selenium nanoparticle solutions supported by the extracted aerial parts of Pulicaria undulata. The formation of nanoparticles in the solution was characterized using phytochemical analysis, and UV-visible, TEM, and zeta-potential spectroscopy. In addition, various biological activities were investigated for the extract of P. undulata and the produced nanoparticles (selenium, silver, and zinc), including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities. The volatile components of the extracted constitute verified the fact that twenty-five volatile components were characterized for the majority of abundant categories for the fatty acids, esters of fatty acids (59.47%), and hydrocarbons (38.19%) of the total area. The antioxidant activity of P. undulata extract and metal nanoparticles was assessed using DPPH assay. The results indicated reduced potency for the metal nanoparticles’ solutions relative to the results for the plant extract. The cytotoxicity of the investigated samples was assessed using an MTT assay against various tumor and normal cell lines with improved cytotoxic potency of the solutions of metal nanoparticles, compared to the plant extract. The antimicrobial activity was also estimated against various bacterial and fungal species. The results confirmed amended potency for inhibiting the growth of microbial species for the solutions of metal nanoparticles when compared to the extracted aerial parts of the plant. The present study showed that green synthetized nanoparticles using P. undulata have various potential bioactivities.