Evaluation of Antioxidant and anticancer effectiveness of silver nanoparticles synthesized from the leaves extract of T. aphylla

When nanomaterials were introduced in medicine, using plant extracts to synthesize nanomaterials gives unique physical and chemical properties, exciting and dramatic therapeutic effects. In the current study, we aim to greenly synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the methanolic extract of Tamarix aphylla (TA). 10 ml of Tamarix aphylla methanolic extract mixed with 300 ml of 1 millimole of silver nitrate (AgNO3) with mixing by stirrer at 35 ֩C. The formation of AgNPs is indicated by brown discoloration of the solution. Then the AgNPs were isolated, triply washed, dried, and kept. The physical characterization of AgNPs was achieved by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), while therapeutic evaluation was done by antioxidant, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and anticancer (MTT) activity. AgNPs exhibited significant results (P<0.05) in antioxidant activity against DPPH free radical in a concentration-dependent way, where a high antioxidant value of 26.32% at a 0.003 dilution rate (high concentration). The MTT examination gives dramatic and significant results (P<0.05) against MCF-7, also in a concentration-dependent manner, where the high inhibition value percentage (22.62%) was at high concentration dose of synthesized silver nanoparticle (0.01mg/ml) and vice versa. Collectively, we conclude that the TA methanolic extract biosynthesis of AgNPs is a promising production method for further therapeutic characteristics, which should be exploited against injurious free radicals, DPPH, and cancer cell line (MCF-7). Finally, extensive studies are necessary to be conducted in this field involving other free radicals and other tumor cell lines in conjunction with the investigation of molecular expression profiles.