Green Synthesis of Apricot Kernel Silver Nanoparticles and Their Biological Activity

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been shown to have high conductivity, chemical stability, catalytic and antibacterial activities, as well as cytotoxicity on various cancer cells. Many biological resources, including plants, fungi, and bacteria have been utilised for the synthesis of silver, gold and other nanoparticles. The aim of this study was to synthesise environmentally friendly and cost-effective AgNPs from apricot kernel and investigate their antimicrobial activities and cytotoxicity. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV-vis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and FTIR. UV–vis spectra revealed the surface plasmon resonance peak at 420 nm confirming the formation of apricot kernel silver nanoparticles. FTIR spectra further demonstrated the involvement of biological compounds in synthesis of AgNPs. Synthesized AgNPs was also found to inhibit the growth of gram negative and gram positive bacteria such as Enterobacter aerogenes ccm 2531, Bacillus subtilis IM 622, Staphylococcus Aureus 6538 p., Staphylococcus Aureus ATCC 29213 and Listeria monocytogenes NCTL 5348 on solid nutrient medium. Importantly, AgNPs were also found to decrease the cell viability of SHSY5Y cell lines in vitro suggesting it could be used as a controlling agent of human neuroblastoma cancer. Based on the findings, it could be concluded that environmentally friendly synthesized AgNPs shows multifunctional properties and could be used against cancer and other infectious diseases.