Hepatoprotective, antioxidant and amylase-inhibitory activities of silver nanoparticles synthesized from leaf extract of <i>Pedilanthus (Euphorbia) tithymaloides </i>

During the past one or two decades, the biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles especially the silver nanoparticles, using plant extracts, and their diverse biomedical applications, including antioxidant and hepatoprotective, has gained the attention of researchers. The present work includes the green synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the aqueous leaf extract of Pedilanthus (Euphorbia) tithymaloides. The biosynthesis employed a bottom-up approach, in which the secondary metabolites of the leaf extract served as reducing, stabilizing and capping agents. The characterization was performed using various techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Zeta potential analysis. The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles were further evaluated for their in-vitro antioxidant and amylase-inhibitory properties, as well as their in-vivo hepatoprotective efficacy in albino Wistar rats. The findings demonstrated that the biosynthesized silver nanoparticles exhibit strong antioxidant and amylase-inhibitory properties, and significantly reduce the oxidative stress-induced hepatotoxicity, reflected by improved liver function parameters, such as serum levels of bilirubin (from 2.86±0.38 mg/dL in hepatotoxic to 1.34±0.18 mg/dL in treated rats), total protein (from 7.44±0.96 to 12.63±2.14 g/dL), albumin (from 2.22±0.57 g/dL to 3.14±0.46 g/dL), key enzymes like alanine aminotransferase [ALT] (from 172.38±14.97 IU/L to 85.19±11.63 IU/L), aspartate aminotransferase [AST] (from 144.29±8.93 IU/L to 61.57±11.26 IU/L), serum alkaline phosphatase [ALP] (from 154.78±16.92 IU/L to 114±13.57 IU/L), and key antioxidant enzymes in hepatic tissues, such as reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and oxidative stress parameter like malondialdehyde (MDA).