A Review on Green Synthesis, Antimicrobial Applications and Toxicity of Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Plant Extract

Abstract

Nanotechnology explores nanoscale materials that can be used in a wide range of industries such as biotechnology, cosmetics, drug delivery, nanomedicine, and biosensors. Nanoparticles in diverse shapes and sizes can be prepared through physical, chemical, and biological methods. The employment of reducing agents, which will change their form, size range, level of stability, and interaction, is a crucial part thus employing a biological approach is necessary. Chemically generated metal oxide nanoparticles raise considerable issues owing to the usage of hazardous and poisonous chemicals, as well as the potential for conservational impairment. In contrast, the production of silver nanoparticles using the principal method of green synthesis has found a special place in research that is considered more environmentally approachable requiring the use to produce non-toxic nanomaterials. Plants and polymer materials have received a lot of interest in the preparation of nanoparticles since they are renewable and affordable. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of more ecologically friendly synthesis techniques that use plant extracts to make silver nanoparticles and their application as antibacterial agents, as well as toxicity features based on the shape, size range, and phytochemical mechanism of plants.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Plant-Derived Zinc Oxide Nanostructure Using <i>Lavandula angustifolia</i> and <i>Phyllanthus niruri</i> Extracts

“…The most common technique in synthesizing n-ZnO is the chemical approach, such as sol-gel, hydrothermal, spray pyrolysis, microwave-assisted techniques, chemical vapor deposition, ultrasonic approach, and precipitation methods [6]. These approaches suffer from high energy demand and use chemicals during the process that have a toxic impact on the environment and allow the occurrence of dangerous side products from reactions, so a more environmentally friendly synthesis technique is urgently required [7].…”

Green Extracellular Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles by Pseudomonas alloputida, Their Growth and Biofilm-Formation Inhibitory Activities and Synergic Behavior with Three Classical Antibiotics

“…However, for use as antimicrobial drugs, that may be irrelevant in most cases. The biological methods employ extracts or culture broths containing reducing and protecting agents generating silver nanomaterials, whose activity depends on the method and the biological material used [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Since no toxic chemicals are used and the biological material is usually not expensive nor requires sophisticated equipment, biological methods are considered more convenient and greener.…”

“…Most of these employ extracts of different plant parts such as seeds, leaves, flowers, etc. [ 11 , 16 , 17 ], but animal blood serum [ 18 ], invertebrates [ 19 ], algae [ 20 ], lichens [ 21 ], fungi [ 22 ], and bacteria [ 11 , 23 , 24 ] have been used as well. Different organisms may provide different physicochemical characteristics and biological properties to the nanoparticles.…”