Eco-Friendly Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized from an Alkaloid-Rich Extract of Androcymbium palaestinum:
Nusaiba Al-Nemrawi1, Tamam El-Elimat2, Alaa Alnaji1
1Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
Introduction:
Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) can be used as antimicrobial agents. Most chemical methods used to prepare AgNPs involve toxic and hazardous materials. Fortunately, "green nanotechnology" is considered safe, environmentally friendly, rapid, viable, scalable, and cost-effective. This method uses microorganisms or plant extracts to fabricate AgNPs. Androcymbium palaestinum is reported to be a rich source of phenethyisoquinoline alkaloids that can be used to prepare AgNPs. The major aim of this work is to prepare AgNPs using the methanolic extract of the corms of A. palaestinum. The prepared nanoparticles were expected to be influenced by different experimental variables and to exhibit antibacterial activity against resistant bacterial strains.
Methods:
The methanolic extract of the corms of A. palaestinum was used for the green synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs-AP). The effects of pH and the concentration of the inorganic precursor, AgNO3, on the synthesis of nanoparticles were investigated. The particle size, dispersity, and surface charge of AgNPs-AP were determined. The formation of nanoparticles was confirmed using UV-Vis, XRD, FTIR, and SEM.
Results:
The results showed that AgNPs-AP were formed only in alkaline media. Increasing the concentration of AgNO3 decreased the sizes of the NPs, lowered their charge, and enhanced their uniformity. SEM images showed spherical and well-dispersed nanoparticles. The antibacterial activity of the AgNPs-AP was assessed by determining the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) for resistant strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Both strains were sensitive to AgNPs-AP.
Discussion:
These observations highlight how green synthesis conditions strongly influence nanoparticle quality and biological performance. The behavior of AgNPs-AP suggests that A. palaestinum extract provides effective reducing and stabilizing agents, enabling environmentally friendly production of functional antimicrobial nanoparticles.
Conclusion:
Using A. palaestinum extract to prepare AgNPs-AP as described in this work is eco-friendly and can be used in the future to prepare an antimicrobial agent that affects resistant bacteria.
