Green synthesis of chitosan/nanosilver hybrid bionanocomposites with promising antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticervical cancer activity

Abstract

Being a versatile biopolymer, chitosan has been used to synthesize silver nanoparticles (SNPs) impregnated hybrid chitosan-nanosilver bionanocomposite (CSSNC) films via a green ex-situ and in-situ route using fruit waste extract. CSSNC hybrid bionanocomposite films were prepared in six different concentrations and characterized by using different techniques i.e. UV-visible spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric analysis, X-Ray Diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Among the CSSNC, CS9AGE1 has been optimized for further biological assays for which the antimicrobial activity revealed the highest zone of inhibition against E. coli (20 mm) and S. aureus (17.5 mm). The antioxidant activity revealed dose-dependent radical scavenging against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (50 µg mL−1), nitric oxide (50 µg mL−1) radical, and total reduction capability (40 µg mL−1). Furthermore, low percent cell viability was observed for cancerous cells at a concentration of 50 µg mL−1 against cervical cancer cells, (HeLa cell line). Therefore, the overall accomplishment confesses a strong potential of CSSNC fabrication via an eco-friendly route exhibiting remarkable anticancer and antioxidant activity and hence provide a gateway to be further explored in the biomedical sciences.