Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles from Solenostemma argel Leaf Extract: Characterization and Wound Healing Activity

Abstract

Green synthesis or biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) has recently emerged as a significant approach to producing metallic NPs due to its rapid, affordable and ease of fabrication. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are particularly impressive due to their antimicrobial, bacteriostatic, and low in vivo toxicity. Wound healing is a complex procedure involving the activity of various tissues and cell lineages that have long been the topic of intense research. A faster and more efficient recovery with the minimum side effects is one of the key goals in wound healing. The current study aims to perform a green synthesis of AgNPs mediated by Solenostemma argel leaf extract, combine it with chitosan (CS) gel, and evaluate its effectiveness as a wound healing agent in a rat model. The biosynthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, DLS analysis and SEM imaging. The developed AgNPs were spherical, with sizes ranging from 60–90 nm. Analysis of the UV-visible spectrum revealed a strong peak at 418.02 nm; this was the first indication of the biosynthesis of AgNPs. X-Ray diffraction analysis indicated the crystallinity phase of biosynthesized AgNPs. The mean hydrodynamic diameter and PDI of the biosynthesized AgNPs were 71.38±2.73 nm and 0.208±0.01, respectively. A high negative zeta potential (30.95±0.58 mV) indicates that the nanomaterial is highly stabilized. The developed AgNPs were uniformly dispersed with 2% w/v CS solution to form AgNPs/CS gel. The in-vivo animal experiment and histopathological analysis outcomes revealed that groups of wounded animals receiving the topical application of AgNPs/CS-gel experienced quicker and better wound healing. Based on this outcome, it can be concluded that biosynthesized AgNPs developed into AgNPs/CS-gel have great potential to be established as wound healing agents.