Biosynthesis of phyto-functionalized silver nanoparticles using olive fruit extract and evaluation of their antibacterial and antioxidant properties

Sami Ullah; Rimsha Khalid; Muhammad F Rehman; Muhammad I Irfan; Azhar Abbas; Ali Alhoshani; Farooq Anwar; Hatem M A Amin

doi:10.3389/fchem.2023.1202252

Biosynthesis of phyto-functionalized silver nanoparticles using olive fruit extract and evaluation of their antibacterial and antioxidant properties

Front Chem. 2023 May 30:11:1202252. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1202252. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Sami Ullah¹, Rimsha Khalid¹, Muhammad F Rehman¹, Muhammad I Irfan¹, Azhar Abbas¹, Ali Alhoshani², Farooq Anwar^{1

3}, Hatem M A Amin^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.
² Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
⁴ Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
⁵ Analytical Chemistry II, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.

Abstract

The green synthesis of nanomaterials is of utmost interest as it offers an eco-friendly approach over chemical synthetic routes. However, the reported biosynthesis methods are often time-consuming and require heating or mechanical stirring. The current study reports a facile one-pot biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) mediated by olive fruit extract (OFE) and sunlight irradiation of only 20 s. OFE acts as both a reducing and a capping agent for the formation of OFE-capped AgNPs (AgNPs@OFE). The as-synthesized NPs were systematically characterized by UV-vis spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electrochemical microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and cyclic voltammetry. SEM images confirmed the successful formation of monodispersed spherical AgNPs@OFE of approximately 77 nm. FTIR spectroscopy suggested the involvement of functional groups of phytochemicals from the OFE in the capping and reduction of Ag⁺ to Ag. The particles revealed excellent colloidal stability as evidenced from the high zeta potential (ZP) value (-40 mV). Interestingly, using the disk diffusion method, AgNPs@OFE revealed higher inhibition efficiency against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Salmonella typhi) than Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), with Escherichia coli showing the highest inhibition zone of 27 mm. In addition, AgNPs@OFE exhibited maximum potent antioxidant scavenging potential against H₂O₂, followed by DPPH, O₂ ^-, and OH^- free radicals. Overall, OFE can be considered an effective source for the sustainable production of stable AgNPs with potential antioxidant and antibacterial activities for biomedical applications.

Keywords: Olea europaea L.; antibacterial activities; characterization; disk diffusion; radical scavenging; silver nanoparticles; surface functionalization.