Avocado-waste mediated synthesis of Silver nanoparticles and exploration of their potential biological properties

Abstract

Plants are rich repositories of pharmacologically important components, yet countless wild plants remain neglected and parts of domesticated plants remain underutilized. The aim of the present study was to synthesize Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) from underutilized seeds of Persea americana Miller (Avocado) and to evaluate their biological properties. Ag NPs were synthesized from the aqueous extracts of avocado seeds and characterized using various techniques. Antioxidant, antimicrobial and larvicidal activity of the Ag NPs were evaluated using in-vitro assays. Ag NPs showed efficient DPPH free radical scavenging activity (92.02%), potential antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans (26 mm zone of inhibition) and prominent larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti (LC50 = 30.28 μg/ml). The significance of the study was the fabrication of eco-friendly Ag NPs in a facile one pot method and exposing the potential biological properties of the underutilized and wasted plant part which can be efficiently used in future to design drug molecules to combat disease targets.