Innovative Eco-friendly Approaches for Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles

Abstract

Nanotechnology is an escalating field that has made its contribution to all spheres of human life. The green synthesis of nanoparticles has paved for better methodologies and approaches in the medicinal field. Nowadays silver, gold and other metallic nanoparticles are used as an efficient carrier for drug molecules for developing novel drug delivery systems. In course of synthesizing these nanoparticles various chemicals, solvents and reagents are used which harms our eco system directly or indirectly. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have been widely used as a novel therapeutic agent extending its use as antibacterial, antifungal, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory agent. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) prepared by green synthesis have many advantages over conventional methods involving chemical agents associated with environmental toxicity. Green synthetic methods include polysaccharide method, irradiation method, biological method, polyoxometallates method and tollens method. Green synthesis of nanoparticles is found to be an emerging branch of nanotechnology. The use of environmentally benign materials like plant leaf extract for the synthesis of nanoparticles offers numerous benefits of eco-friendliness and compatibility for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications as they do not use toxic chemicals in the synthesis protocols. Rapid and green synthetic methods using various plant extracts have shown a great potential in silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) synthesis. This review article describes the bio-inspired synthesis of nanoparticles that provides advancement over chemical and physical methods as it is cost effective, eco-friendly and more effective in a variety of applications.