Synthesis of Green Engineered Silver Nanoparticles through Urtica dioica: An Inhibition of Microbes and Alleviation of Cellular and Organismal Toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Plant fractions have a diversity of biomolecules that can be used to make complicated reactions for the bioactive fabrication of metal nanoparticles (NPs), in addition to being beneficial as antioxidant medications or dietary supplements. The current study shows that Urtica dioica (UD) and biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of UD have antibacterial and antioxidant properties against bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida) and Drosophila melanogaster (Oregon R+). According to their ability to scavenge free radicals, DPPH, ABTS, TFC, and TPC initially estimated the antioxidant potential of UD and UD AgNPs. The fabricated AgNPs were analyzed (UV‒Vis, FTIR, EDS, and SEM) to determine the functional groups (alcohol, carboxylic acids, phenol, proteins, and aldehydes) and to observe the shape (agglomerated crystalline and rod-shaped structure). The disc diffusion method was used to test the antimicrobial properties of synthesized Ag-NPs against E. coli and P. putida. For 24 to 120 h, newly enclosed flies and third instar larvae of Drosophila were treated with UD and UD AgNPs. After exposure, tests for biochemical effects (acetylcholinesterase inhibition and protein estimation assays), cytotoxicity (dye exclusion), and behavioral effects (jumping and climbing assays) were conducted. The results showed that nanoparticles were found to have potent antimicrobial activity against all microbial strains tested at various concentrations. In this regard, ethno-medicinal characteristics exhibit a similar impact in D. melanogaster, showing (p < 0.05) significantly decreased cellular toxicity (trypan blue dye), enhanced biochemical markers (AChE efficacy and proteotoxicity), and improved behavioral patterns in the organism treated with UD AgNPs, especially in comparison to UD extract. The results of this study may help in the utilization of specific plants as reliable sources of natural antioxidants that may have been beneficial in the synthesis of metallic NPs, which aids in the production of nanomedicine and other therapeutic applications.

Toxicological Profile of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Microplastic in Ingested Drosophila melanogaster (Oregon R+) and Its Adverse Effect on Behavior and Development

“…Our study focused on the behavioral activity of Drosophila after exposure to PET microplastics with different concentrations and durations. Behavior can shed light on an organism’s physiological processes [ 27 ] and, in the case of Drosophila, their climbing and jumping abilities provided insights into their overall health. We observed significant impairments in locomotor activity in Drosophila exposed to PET microplastics at concentrations of 20 g/L and 40 g/L.…”

“…1/2[(n tot + n above − n below )/n tot ] 2.6.2. Jumping Activity The activation of neuromuscular functions was evaluated using jumping activity [27]. It appeared that the frequency of locomotor activity influenced the jumping response threshold.…”

Impact of Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics on Drosophila melanogaster Biological Profiles and Heat Shock Protein Levels

“…This study was conducted in a controlled environment using Drosophila melanogaster, especially the Oregon R + wild-type strain. The flies were fed a standard Drosophila diet composed of corn flour, propionic acid, agar, yeast, sodium benzoate (Hi-media, Jalandhar, Punjab, India), and sulfur-free sugar [20,21]. The flies were exposed to controlled environmental conditions, characterized by a 12-h light-dark cycle and a temperature that was consistently maintained at 24 ± 1 • C. The aforementioned criteria were maintained inside a laboratory situated at Lovely Professional University in Phagwara, Punjab, India.…”

Antimicrobial properties in nanoparticles synthesized by biogenic route

“…Inicialmente, las nanopartículas de plata (Ag) mostraron resultados eficientes contra E. coli (20-25 ug/mL) [19], [24], [26]. La referencia [25] identificó 45 % de daño celular a pesar de obtener la menor zona de inhibición. Para, las nanopartículas de FeO, se obtuvo un 100% de reducción contra E.coli y un 98% para coliformes totales en muestras naturales de agua [48], asimismo las investigaciones de las referencias [31], [47] [49] logró la biorremediación de un 96.57 % en remoción de Niquel II.…”