Antibacterial activity of green synthesized silver nanoparticles using aqueous extract of Aeluropus litoralis and their anticancer and antioxidant properties

Background. The biosynthesis of nanoparticles using plant extracts offers an eco-friendly and cost-effective method for producing stable nanoparticles with various applications in medicine, agriculture, and environmental science. Purpose. To investigate the ability of Aeluropus littoralisaqueous extract to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and of antibacterial activity, anticancer and antioxidant properties. Materials and methods.A. littoralisaerial parts were washed, dried, and ground. Extract was prepared by boiling 7 g in 100 mL water, filtered, and dried. Aelu-AgNPs were biosynthesized by mixing extract with AgNO₃, incubating until color change, then centrifuging and washing. Nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis, FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDX, and zeta potential. Antibacterial activity was tested against MDR bacteria using agar diffusion, MIC, and MBC assays. Cytotoxicity was evaluated with MTT on cancer and normal cells. Antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH assay. Data analysis used SPSS and GraphPad Prism. Results. The aqueous extract of A. littoralisoperated as a reducing agent for AgNO3, resulting in the formation of AgNPs (Aelu-AgNPs), which was confirmed by spectroscopy at the greatest peak of 410 nm. Based on FESEM analysis, the Aelu-AgNPs were around 41.43 nm in size. The XRD study demonstrated a face-centered cubic structure, whereas zeta potential assessment suggested significant stability at -40.4 mV. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Providencia rettgeri, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, S. haemolyticus, S. epidermidis, S. hominis, and Enterococcus faeciumwere all proven to be susceptible to the Aelu-AgNPs. Among the bacteria tested, P. mirabilisshowed the most sensitivity, with a 19.5 mm inhibition zone. The MIC ranged from 62.5 to 7.8 µg/ml and the MBC from 62.5 to 15.6 µg/ml for all the bacterial isolates that were examined. The results showed that the Aelu-AgNPs had a potential antioxidant activity higher than ascorbic acid at a concentration of 12.5 μg/ml. The MTT assay validated superior efficacy in inhibiting the A375 cancer cell line with an IC50of 71.04 μg/ml, in contrast to 148.6 μg/ml of the normal cell line (HdFn). Conclusion:The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles obtained from A. littoralisextract exhibit potential as antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer agents.