Biosynthesis of iron nanoparticles using Allium eriophyllum Boiss extract: Chemical characterization, antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antibacterial, antifungal, and cutaneous wound healing effects

Abstract

Recently, metal nanoparticles have been used for the treatment of several disorders, such as infectious diseases. Indeed, finding the antibiotics of nanoparticles is in researching priority of many countries. The aim of this experiment was the green synthesis of iron nanoparticles from aqueous extract of Allium eriophyllum Boiss (FeNPs@AE) and evaluation of their antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antibacterial, antifungal, and cutaneous wound healing effects under in vitro and in vivo conditions. These nanoparticles were characterized by FT‐IR, UV, XRD, EDS, TEM, and FE‐SEM analysis. According to the XRD analysis, 40 nm was measured for the crystal size of nanoparticles. SEM and TEM images exhibited a uniform spherical morphology and average diameters of 45 nm for the nanoparticles. FTIR findings suggested antioxidant compounds in the nanoparticles were the sources of reducing power, reducing iron ions to FeNPs@AE. DPPH test indicated similar antioxidant potentials for FeNPs@AE and butylated hydroxytoluene. The synthesized FeNPs@AE had great cell viability dose‐dependently and revealed this method was nontoxic. In the antimicrobial part of this study, FeNPs@AE prevented the growth of all bacteria and removed them at 2‐4 mg/ml concentrations (p ≤ 0.01). In the case of antifungal effects of FeNPs@AE, they inhibited the growth of all fungi at 1‐2 mg/ml concentrations and destroyed them at 2‐4 mg/ml concentrations (p ≤ 0.01). In part of cutaneous wound healing effect of FeNPs@AE, after creating the cutaneous wound, the rats were randomly divided into six groups: treatment with 0.2% FeNPs@AE ointment, treatment with 0.2% A. eriophyllum ointment, treatment with 0.2% FeCl3.6H2O ointment, treatment with 3% tetracycline ointment, treatment with Eucerin basal ointment, and untreated control. These groups were treated for 10 days. Use of FeNPs@AE ointment in the treatment groups substantially raised (p ≤ 0.01) the wound contracture, vessel, hydroxyl proline, hexuronic acid, fibrocyte, and fibrocytes/fibroblast rate and remarkably decreased (p ≤ 0.01) the wound area, total cells, neutrophil, and lymphocyte compared to other groups. The results of FT‐IR, UV, XRD, TEM, and FE‐SEM confirm that the aqueous extract of A. eriophyllum can be used to produce iron nanoparticles with a significant amount of antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and cutaneous wound healing properties without any cytotoxicity.