Facile synthesis of Au and Ag nanoparticles using fruit extract of Lycium chinense and their anticancer activity

Abstract

A simple green approach for the synthesis of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles was prepared using Lycium chinense (LC) fruit extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by relevant surface plasmon resonance peaks for gold and silver nanoparticles at 536 and 480 nm, respectively, with an ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer. The confirmation of gold and silver elements in the synthesized NPs with maximum distribution profiles and the crystallographic nature of the synthesized NPs were confirmed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, elemental mapping, and X-ray diffraction analysis. LC-prepared silver NPs (LC-AgNPs) antimicrobial activity demonstrated inhibitory activity against pathogenic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The synthesized LC-prepared gold NPs (LC-AuNPs) did not show inhibitory activity. The LC-AgNPs exhibited significant cytotoxicity to the human breast cancer MCF7 cell line and less cytotoxicity to non-diseased RAW264.7 (murine macrophage) cells, whereas LC-AuNPs showed minimal toxicity to both cell lines. The rapidly synthesized NPs could play a role in the field of nanotechnology and in biomedical applications.