Green synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles through the Piper cubeba ethanolic extract and their enzyme inhibitory activities

Khalil Ahmad; Hafiz Muhammad Asif; Taimoor Afzal; Mohsin Abbas Khan; Muhammad Younus; Umair Khurshid; Maryem Safdar; Sohaib Saifulah; Bashir Ahmad; Abubakar Sufyan; Siddique Akber Ansari; Hamad M Alkahtani; Irfan Aamer Ansari

doi:10.3389/fchem.2023.1065986

Green synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles through the Piper cubeba ethanolic extract and their enzyme inhibitory activities

Front Chem. 2023 Feb 22:11:1065986. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1065986. eCollection 2023.

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
² Rural Health Center, Punjab, Pakistan.
³ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
⁴ Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
⁵ Department of Livestock and Poultry Production, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
⁶ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.

Abstract

Introduction: The area of "Green Synthesis of Nano-medicine," as compared to its synthetic counterparts, is a relatively safer research technology for various biomedical applications, including identification, therapeutic application, and prevention of pathological conditions, pain control, safety, and development of human wellness. The present study explored the synthesis and characterization of AgNPs using the ethanolic extract of Piper cubeba fruit as a reducing and stabilizing agent and its potential as an enzyme inhibitory agent. Urease inhibitors are helpful against many severe diseases, including gastric ulcers induced by Helicobacter pylori. Method: The fruits of the Piper cubeba plant were taken and ground to a fine powder. Plant material was added to 500 ml ethanol, and the mixture was filtered. The solvent of the filtrate was evaporated, and a thick, gummy extract was obtained and stored at 4°C in the refrigerator. AgNPs were green synthesized from solutions of AgNO3 using the P. cubeba extract, which was indicated by a change in the color from light brown to deep brown. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized via Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results and Discussion: Analysis showed the reduction of Ag+ to Ag0 at room temperature (25°C), and the average particle size of AgNPs was in the range of 40-80 nm. Consequently, the synthesized AgNPs were evaluated for their anti-urease activity. The maximum urease inhibition of the Piper cubeba ethanolic extract was 88.5% at 5 mg conc., and of derived nanoparticles was 78.6% at 0.05 mg conc. The results were nearly similar to the control drug, i.e., thiourea (0.5 and 0.6 mM conc., respectively). Conclusion: The study concluded that the P. cubeba extract, as well as its green-derived AgNPs, might prove to be a better and safer substitute for their enzyme inhibitory potential in emerging medicine and novel drug delivery techniques to improve and maintain human health.

Keywords: FTIR analysis; Piper cubeba; SEM; XRD; anti-urease activity; enzyme inhibitory activity; silver nanoparticles (AgNPs); spectroscopy.