Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles with Extracts from Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi: Characterization and Bioactivities

Abstract

In this work, the hexane, chloroform, and methanol extracts from Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi were utilized to green-synthesize silver nanoparticles (Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs). The Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs were characterized by spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. The antibacterial activity of AgNPs was studied against bacteria strains, utilizing the microdilution assay. The DPPH and H2O2 assays were considered to assess the antioxidant activity of AgNPs. The results revealed that Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs exhibit an average diameter of 39.9, 111, and 42 nm, respectively. The calculated ζ-potential of Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs were −20.5, −10.6, and −7.9 mV, respectively. The UV-vis analysis of the three samples demonstrated characteristic absorption bands within the range of 350–450 nm, which confirmed the formation of AgNPs. The FTIR analysis of AgNPs exhibited a series of bands from 3500 to 750 cm−1, related to the presence of extracts on their surfaces. SEM observations unveiled that Kf1- and Kf2-AgNPs adopted structural arrangements related to nano-popcorns and nanoflowers, whereas Kf3-AgNPs were spherical in shape. It was determined that treatment with Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs was demonstrated to inhibit the growth of E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa in a dose-dependent manner (50–300 μg/mL). Within the same range, treatment with Kf1-, Kf2-, and Kf3-AgNPs decreased the generation of DPPH (IC50 57.02–2.09 μg/mL) and H2O2 (IC50 3.15–3.45 μg/mL) radicals. This study highlights the importance of using inorganic nanomaterials to improve the biological performance of plant extracts as an efficient nanotechnological approach.