Efficacy of the greenly synthesized silver, copper, and nickel nanoparticles using Allium tuncelianum extract against Acanthamoeba castellanii

Acanthamoeba is a common protozoan in many environments, leading to infection in humans and animals. Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) are caused by Acanthamoeba. AK is an infection in the eye that can lead to vision loss and does not have a fully effective treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new therapies against Acanthamoeba for the treatment of AK and GAE. Green nanotechnology synthesis approaches have been recently reported to be more environmentally friendly and effective in antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, and antiprotozoal activities. Therefore, they might be a good strategy for developing anti-Acanthamoeba substances. This study aimed to use the microwave-assisted method to prepare AgNPs, CuNPs, and NiNPs using the crude extract of Allium tuncelianum (AT). Moreover, the synthesized AT-AgNPs, AT-CuNPs, and AT-NiNPs were characterized using UV-Visible spectroscopy, DLS, and FTIR tech-niques. The first time anti-amoebic activity of AT-AgNPs, AT-CuNPs, and AT-NiNPs was evaluated against Acanthamoeba castellanii. Anti-amoebic activity as IC50 value of AT-AgNPs, AT-CuNPs, and AT-NiNPs was observed 1556.56 +/- 7.36 mu g/ml, 1826.44 +/- 17.84 mu g/ml, and 2014.23 +/- 7.04 mu g/ml after 24 h, respectively. After 24 h, AT-AgNPs were shown to be superior to other NPs in killing Acanthamoeba trophozoites at a 2000 mu g/ ml concentration. AT-AgNPs' IC50 value was determined to be effective against Acanthamoeba trophozoites at a concentration almost twice as low as PVP-I's IC50 value after 48 h. At doses of 500 mu g/ml, 1000 mu g/ml, and 2000 mu g/ml, the impact of AT-AgNPs on the viability of 50% Acanthamoeba trophozoites was assessed after 48 h. The conclusion of the present study demonstrates the most effective of AT-AgNPs among the nanoparticles when used against the treatment of infections caused by A. castellanii. These agents show the potential to create new, efficient, and secure treatment options.

Automated summary

Acanthamoeba is a common protozoan that can cause eye infections and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. There is an urgent need to develop new treatments for Acanthamoeba. Green nanotechnology synthesis approaches, such as using the crude extract of Allium tuncelianum, may be a good strategy. This study used microwave-assisted methods to prepare AgNPs, CuNPs, and NiNPs and evaluated their anti-Acanthamoeba activity.