Antimicrobial and anticancer activities of silver nanoparticles synthesized from the root hair extract of Phoenix dactylifera

Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2018 Aug 1:89:429-443. doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2018.03.035. Epub 2018 Apr 4.

Abstract

There is a continuous rise in the rate of medicine consumption because of the development of drug resistance by microbial pathogens. In the last one decade, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have become a remarkable choice for the development of new drugs due to their excellent broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. In the current piece of work, we have synthesized AgNPs from the root extract of Phoenix dactylifera to test their antimicrobial and anti-cancer potential. UV-visible spectra showed the surface plasmon resonance peak at 420 nm λmax corresponding to the formation of silver nanoparticles, FTIR spectra further confirmed the involvement of biological moieties in AgNPs synthesis. Moreover, XRD analysis showed the crystalline nature of AgNPs and predicted the crystallite size of 15 to 40 nm. Electron microscopy analyses confirmed their spherical shape. In addition, synthesized AgNPs was also found to control the growth of C. albicans and E. coli on solid nutrient medium with 20 and 22 mm zone of inhibition, respectively. The 100% potency at 40 μg/ml AgNPs concentration was observed against E. coli and C. albicans after 4 h and 48 h incubation respectively. Importantly, AgNPs were also found to decrease the cell viability of MCF7 cell lines in vitro with IC50 values of 29.6 μg/ml and could act as a controlling agent of human breast cancer. Based on our results, we conclude that biologically synthesized AgNPs exhibited multifunctional properties and could be used against human cancer and other infectious diseases.

Keywords: AgNPs; Antimicrobial; Biogenic; Candida albicans; E. coli; MCF7; Phoenix dactylifera; Root hair.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Infective Agents / chemistry*
  • Anti-Infective Agents / metabolism
  • Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / metabolism
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Candida albicans / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Drug Liberation
  • Escherichia coli / drug effects
  • Green Chemistry Technology
  • Hemolysis / drug effects
  • Humans
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Metal Nanoparticles / toxicity
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Particle Size
  • Phoeniceae / chemistry*
  • Phoeniceae / metabolism
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry*
  • Plant Roots / chemistry
  • Plant Roots / metabolism
  • Silver / chemistry*
  • Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Plant Extracts
  • Silver