Photo-Mediated Facile Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Curcuma zanthorrhiza Rhizome Extract and Their In Vitro Antimicrobial and Anticancer Activity

Abstract

Plants possess unique bioactive principles justifying their multifunctional properties. In this work silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared via a photo-mediated green approach for enhanced antimicrobial and anticancer activity. The aqueous rhizome extract of Curcuma zanthorrhiza Roxb. (Cz) was employed as a source of reducing and capping agent for the synthesis of colloidal Cz-AgNPs. The materialization of Cz-AgNPs was identified from the surface plasmon resonance observed at 416 nm using UV–Visible spectrophotometer. The FTIR analysis of both Cz-AgNPs and plant rhizome extract revealed the as-synthesized Cz-AgNPs were capped with plant derived phytoconstituents. The crystallinity, surface morphology, hydrodynamic size and surface area of Cz-AgNPs were characterized by PXRD, HR-TEM, FESEM, DLS and BET analysis. The as-synthesized Cz-AgNPs exhibited strong antimicrobial activities against bacterial strains and plant pathogenic fungi in a dose-dependent manner. The antimicrobial activity of Cz-AgNPs was assessed using standard disc diffusion, broth microdilution assay for bacterial strains and poisoned food technique for fungal strains. The Cz-AgNPs were inhibitory to all the microbes even at the lowest concentration. The biocompatible nature of Cz-AgNPs was analyzed for hemolytic properties with human erythrocytes and promising results were observed. In addition, the cytotoxicity activity (Trypan Blue Exclusion Method) on the cell lines of Dalton’s Lymphoma Ascites (DLA) and Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) showed Cz-AgNPs exhibited potential anticancer activity with concentration as low as 1.67 µg/mL and 1.84 µg/mL respectively (IC50 value). This work attempted at optimizing a safe dosage of silver nanoparticles using hemolysis assay and thus for application in therapy.