Eco-friendly Approach for Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis from Lemon Extract and their Anti-oxidant, Anti-bacterial, and Anti-cancer Activities

Abstract

To create silver nanoparticles, researchers use bionanotechnology techniques because they are economical and environmentally friendly. The current study shows that lemon juice (Citrus-limon) can be used to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The synthesized silver nanoparticles have been characterized by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measured at λmax = 430 nm, confirming the formation of AgNPs. Moreover, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis was carried out to identify possible bio-molecules responsible for the bio-reduction of silver ions. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks at (111, 200, 220, 222, and 311) confirm the found face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure of AgNPs in solution. Transmission-Electron-Microscopy (TEM) images showed that AgNPs have spherical morphology with sizes ranging from 10-50 nm. Furthermore, the Particles Size Analyzer (PSA) confirmed these sizes and ranges. Synthesized AgNPs have high anti-oxidant activity according to the (scavenging of DPPH radicals, total anti-oxidant, and reducing power) assays. Also, the anti-bacterial activity of AgNPs was evaluated by a well diffusion method, and the results suggest that they are more sensitive to gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative ones, with the average diameter of the inhibition zones for AgNPs ranging from 4.11 to 25.87 mm and 1.38 to 22.3 mm against S. aureus and E. coli bacteria, respectively. In vitro studies of AgNPs against MCF-7 breast cancer cell s lines showed a good cytotoxic effect p<0.05 with an IC50 value of 47 μg/mL; this study could be beneficial for nanotechnology-based pharmaceutical and biomedical applications.