Green Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Using Sprout Plants: Pros and Cons

Abstract

A critical need in the field of nanotechnology is the development of a sustainable and eco-friendly process for the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles (NPs). To accomplish this, the use of live plants becomes essential for the production of low-cost, energy-efficient, and nontoxic metallic NPs. In this study, we tried in-vivo synthesis (green synthesis) of silver and gold NPs using seeds of bean, radish, and alfalfa, which were grown hydroponically in aqueous solutions containing metal salts, 20-25 nm sized NPs were found on the inner surfaces of the plants' vascular cylinders and cortex. The amounts of NPs taken up by the intracellular systems were clearly dependent on the exposure time and concentration of the metal salts. Although these results regarding the green synthesis of NPs on the growth of plant species are somewhat interesting and effective, metal salts adversely affected the root growth of the plants. Silver ions in the growth media showed a more negative impact on root growth compared to gold ions. Therefore, even though biosynthesis of metal NPs using live plants is considered as green synthesis, we have to consider their phytotoxicity on plant growth.

Biosynthesized metallic nanoparticles: A new era in cancer therapy

“…Plant extract contains substances such as sugars, proteins, enzymes, polymers, flavonoids, and organic acids that act as reducing agents to aid in the physiological. [26] Metal ions are reduced and stabilized using biomolecules with medicinal properties, such as enzymes, proteins, tannins, amino acids, polysaccharides, phenolics, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, and vitamins. These biomolecules stabilize metal NPs with large concentrations of phyto-constituents, steroids, sapogenins, carbohydrates, and flavonoids.…”

“…Plant extract contains substances such as sugars, proteins, enzymes, polymers, flavonoids, and organic acids that act as reducing agents to aid in the physiological. [ 26 ]…”

Edible Plant Sprouts: Health Benefits, Trends, and Opportunities for Novel Exploration

“…Thus, the potential of using plant sprouts in the production of nanoparticles is a promising green technology and is envisaged to present new opportunities in the fight against cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and many other diseases [ 165 ]. However, as Park and Kim argue, this approach possesses critical drawbacks, including potential harmful effects, hence, future studies are needed to help understand the remedies of such shortcomings [ 167 ]. Furthermore, despite these interesting discoveries, only limited studies have explored the application of germinated seeds to produce nanoparticles.…”

“…Interaction between secondary metabolites and gut microbiota. When sprout-based foods containing bioactive metabolites are ingested, the microbial ecosystems within the gut rapidly change their functionality in response to the dietary changes [167]. The metabolites are often transformed by the gut microbes before absorption [167].…”

Biosynthesized Gold and Silver Nanoparticles in Cancer Theranostics

“…Biological sources for the preparation of NPs using the green chemistry method include plant, animal, and microbial sources [40,51]. Over the past decade, biosynthesis of various metal NPs was carried out and widely reported globally [9,34,48,53,54,59,67]. The potential efficacy of biosynthesized NPs is mainly because of the presence of active chemical constituents around the NPs surface, imparted from the green resources during reduction process.…”