Green Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles Using Anchusa Officinalis: Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Potential

Abstract

Objective: Anchusa officinalis L. (A. officinalis) is a herbaceous traditional medicinal plant used in the treatment of some diseases. The presence of its medicinal properties suggested that A. officinalis (AO) leaf extract could be used as a coating agent for the environmentally friendly production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Methods: The synthesized biogenic silver nanoparticles (AO-AgNPs) were characterized using different techniques. The antimicrobial activity of AgNPs against common bacterial pathogenic strains was determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. The presence of phytochemicals was determined by LSMS/MS. The MTT assay was used to investigate AO-AgNPs' cytotoxic activity in malignant (LnCap, Caco2, MDA-MB2, A549) and healthy (HEK-293) cell lines. Results: LC-MS/MS analysis detected the presence of rich phytochemicals that may be responsible for reduction reactions. Biogenic AO-AgNPs exhibited effective inhibition of the growth of pathogenic microorganisms at low concentrations. The most effective antimicrobial activity was measured as 0.5 mu g/mL MIC against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans. Moreover, AO-AgNPs showed significant inhibition on the growth of cancerous cell lines, especially at a concentration of 25 mu g/mL. On the contrary, it was determined that the inhibition rate decreased in the growth of healthy cell lines due to the increase in concentration. The lowest EC50 values were determined as 15.15 mu g/mL in A549 cells. Conclusion: The obtained results showed that AO could be an important source for the synthesis of AgNPs. Especially their ability to inhibit the growth of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria at low concentrations compared to common antibiotics indicates that AOAgNPs can be used as biomedical agents in various areas. Moreover, their suppressive effect on cancerous cell lines showed that they have the potential to be used as an anticancer agent, but due to their proliferative effect on healthy cell lines, care should be taken in determining the appropriate dose.