Biological Effect of Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Derived from Malva parviflora Fruits

The search for novel natural resources, such as extracts from algae and plant for use as reductants and capping agents for the synthesis of nanoparticles, may be appealing to medicine and nanotechnology. This study aimed to use <i>Malva parviflora</i> fruit extract as a novel source for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and to evaluate their characterization. The results of biosynthesized AgNP characterization using multiple techniques, such as UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FTIR analysis, and zeta potential (ZP), demonstrated that <i>M. parviflora</i> AgNPs exhibit a peak at 477 nm; possess needle-like and nanorod morphology with diameters ranging from 156.08 to 258.41 nm; contain -OH, C=O, C-C stretching from phenyl groups, and carbohydrates, pyranoid ring, and amide functional groups; and have a zeta potential of -21.2 mV. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the <i>M. parviflora</i> AgNPs was assessed against two multidrug-resistant strains, including <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> MRSA and <i>Escherichia coli</i> ESBL, with inhibition zones of 20.33 ± 0.88 mm and 13.33 ± 0.33 mm, respectively. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was 1.56 µg/mL for both. SEM revealed structural damage to the treated bacterial cells, and RAPD-PCR confirmed these genetic alterations. Additionally, <i>M. parviflora</i> AgNPs showed antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ = 0.68 mg/mL), 69% protein denaturation inhibition, and cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 breast cancer cells at concentrations above 100 µg/mL. These findings suggest that <i>M. parviflora</i>-based AgNPs are safe and effective for antimicrobial and biomedical applications, such as coatings for implanted medical devices, to prevent biofilm formation and facilitate drug delivery.