Novel approaches for producing silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), which are widely used in biomedicine, biotechnology, and agriculture, are of considerable importance.
This study highlights a simple and cost-effective biological method for the synthesis of Ag-NPs using the leaf extract of the hydroponically cultivated Moringa oleifera (MOAg-NPs), alongside the analysis of the biosynthesized NPs. One of the advantages of hydroponic cultivation over traditional soil-based methods is that plants are cleaner since they are not in contact with soil and can be cultivated with fewer chemical inputs. For characterization of the biosynthesized MOAg-NPs various methods have been used, such as UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. UV-Vis analysis revealed a prominent peak at 465 nm, indicating the synthesis of MOAg-NPs. TEM analysis demonstrated a spherical shape of MOAg-NPs with an average diameter of 10.0 ± 6.0 nm. The XRD pattern displayed Ag peaks at 2θ values corresponding to (111), (200), (220) and (311) reflections. The antibacterial efficacy of MOAg-NPs was assessed against Gram-positive (Enterococcus hirae, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli), revealing their antibacterial potential at low concentrations. The general inhibitory mechanism of MOAg-NPs focuses on the energy-dependent total and N, N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD)-sensitive H+-fluxes across the bacterial membrane. Moreover, the application of MOAg-NPs resulted in substantial inhibition of HeLa cells growth.
Thus, Ag-NPs synthesized using hydroponically grown M. oleifera leaf extract exhibited cytotoxicity against cancer cells and antibacterial properties, highlighting their potential use in biomedicine.
Aghajanyan, A., Timotina, M., Manutsyan, T., Harutyunyan, A., Ginovyan, M., Schubert, R., Aydinyan, S., Trchounian, K., Gabrielyan, L., & Gabrielyan, L. (2025). A novel approach for synthesizing silver nanoparticles with antibacterial and cytotoxic activities using the leaf extract of hydroponically grown Moringa oleifera. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01023-0
Source: Nature Magazine