Anticancer and antibacterial activity against clinical pathogenic multi-drug resistant bacteria using biosynthesized silver nanoparticles with Mentha pulegium and Crocus caspius extracts

The utilization of environmentally friendly synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) has gained significant popularity due to their versatile applications. In this study, silver nanoparticles were synthesized utilizing Mentha pulegium (M. pulegium; MP-AgNPs) and Crocus caspius (C. caspius; CC-AgNPs) extracts, without the need for chemical stabilizers or surfactants. The green synthesis process carefully controlled critical parameters such as concen-tration, reaction time, temperature, and pH of the medium. Characterization of the biosynthesized AgNPs involved various techniques including FESEM, EDS, XRD, TEM, and UV-Vis analysis. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the average sizes of MP-AgNPs and CC-AgNPs were found to be 34.5 nm and 47.2 nm, respectively, which were consistent with the transmission electron microscopy results. The antibacterial activity of the AgNPs was evaluated against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens, demonstrating maximum efficacy against E. coli and K. pneumonia, with a MIC value of 0.4 & mu;g/ml for MP-AgNPs. Additionally, CC-AgNPs exhibited the highest effectiveness against P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii, and K. pneumonia, with a MIC value of 2 & mu;g/ml. Furthermore, the biosynthesized AgNPs displayed potent antibacterial activity against multi-drug resis-tant bacteria. The anticancer activity of the AgNPs was investigated on MCF-7 (breast cancer) and AGS (human gastric carcinoma) cell lines using the MTT assay. The results indicated that AgNPs inhibited cancer cell pro-liferation within a concentration range of 0.5-60 & mu;g/ml. Overall, this study highlights the potential wide-ranging applications of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles as biological agents, presenting a possible substitute for chemically synthesized drugs. The eco-friendly synthesis approach and the demonstrated antibacterial and anticancer activities further support the use of these nanoparticles in various biomedical applications.

Automated summary

In this study, environmentally friendly silver nanoparticles were synthesized using extracts from Mentha pulegium and Crocus caspius plants. The synthesized nanoparticles showed antibacterial activity against various pathogens and inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells. The results suggest the potential biomedical applications of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles.