Preparation, Characterization and Evaluation of Silver Nanoparticles of Lilium candidum and Its Antimicrobial Activity

Abstract

Researchers are becoming more interested in green nanotechnology in the production of nanoparticles. Because of their biological and physicochemical characteristics, nanotechnologies find use in a wide range of industries, such as drug delivery, sensors, optoelectronics, and magnetic devices. Green synthesis is an environmentally benign method that should be investigated further to see if various plants can produce nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles range in size from one to one hundred nanometres. Since bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to many antibiotics and because excessive use of these synthetic treatments can be harmful and have further negative effects on the human body, multidrug resistance has emerged as a significant and difficult problem for the pharmaceutical industry.  The current study assesses the antibacterial, antioxidant, and phytochemical screening properties as well as the green production and antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles. Crude extracts of Lilium candidum leaves were made using three different solvents: petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and methanol. Using the reducing power assay technique and DPPH, antioxidant activity was investigated. Silver nanoparticles were created by combining Lilium candidum leaf aqueous extract with a 1 mM AgNO3 solution. FTIR spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectrometry were used to characterise the produced silver nanoparticles. The agar well diffusion method was used to investigate antimicrobial activity. Several phytochemicals, including flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, carbohydrates, terpenoids, steroids, tannins, and free anthraquinones, were found to be present in the methanol extract, according to the results of the phytochemical screening. The leaves of the methanolic extract had a total phenolic content of 0.068 mg/gm, with flavonoids coming in second at 1.089 mg/gm. Similarly, methanol extract demonstrated concentration-dependent antibacterial and efficient free radical scavenging properties.  The generated silver nanoparticles characterisation results showed that plant phyto-constituents create and stabilise the silver nanoparticles, and they also demonstrated positive antibacterial properties. The use of natural resources is the best option for producing NPs as a sustainable, environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and chemically contaminant-free method. The green synthesis process is a crucial field in nanotechnology. There are numerous possible biological and medicinal uses for these silver nanoparticles.