Anticancer, antimicrobial potential of silver nanoparticles biosynthesized from Clarias batrachus, Oreochromis mossambicus epidermal mucus on A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells and nosocomial microbes

Nanomedicine crafted from biogenic methods has revolutionized the healthcare sector for their remarkable applications in devising consumer goods for biomedical, semi-healthcare and para-pharmaceutical industries. Silver nanoparticles have prominent dominance over other metallic nanoparticles chiefly due to their antimicrobial and antiproliferative properties. The incessant rise in the cases of skin cancer and nosocomial infection poses a great threat to public welfare thus search for biogenic antibiotics becomes a paramount step towards its prevention. This study presents an eco-friendly, scalable method for mediating the formation of silver nanoparticles from hitherto unexplored Clarias batrachus (Catfish), Oreochromis mossambicus (Tilapia) skin mucus. The preliminary assessment of the extracted epidermal mucus from both the fishes involves partial purification of the samples before utilizing it for silver nanoparticle synthesis. Molecular characterization of mucus samples was done through UV-Visible Spectroscopy, FTIR Spectroscopy, SEM, TEM which further verified the genesis of silver nanoparticles and provided functional insights into its morphology and distribution. Antimicrobial efficacy assessment of the resultant samples was done by employing an agar cup diffusion assay for the selected nosocomial microbes and accordingly ZOI, MIC, MBC and MFC were determined. MTT assay (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl] 2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide) was executed for evaluating the cytotoxic ability of mucus derived Ag-NPs on A431 cells and IC50 value was recorded. Overall, the most potent antimicrobial activity was displayed by Catfish NPs while Tilapia NPs showcases the highest anticancer activity by demonstrating a cytotoxicity of 98% towards A431 cells. This research will aid in adopting a green sustainable alternative approach towards organic-inorganic hybrid nanomedicine formulations and its implementation for tackling skin cancer & Infectious nosocomial diseases.