Abstract

The present study was focused on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using the aqueous extract of Putranjiva roxburghii seed and investigation of antibacterial activity of the nanoparticles. Further, the synthesized silver nanoparticles were tested on human breast cancer cell line the potential tumour suppressing property for antitumour activity. The seed extract was investigated for the presence of secondary metabolites and the formation of silver nanoparticles was indicated by a colour change from pale yellow to brown. The synthesis of the silver nanoparticles was ascertained with UV/Vis spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Antibacterial and anticancer activity of the synthesized silver nanoparticles was tested using agar well diffusion and 96 well plate mean transit time cell proliferation assay methods, respectively. The results showed that silver nanoparticles were spherical, 13-69 nm in size with a maximum absorption peak at 371 nm. These silver nanoparticles showed considerable antibacterial effects on Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis except on Escherichia coli. The cytotoxic effect of the silver nanoparticles was tested on human breast cancer cell line. The decrease in % viability of the human breast cancer cell line cells was observed at 12.5 to 200 µg/µl concentration with an IC50 of 72.32 µg/ml. It is an easy, inexpensive and eco-friendly approach for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from Putranjiva roxburghii seed extract and the nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial activity and a potential to be used against human breast cancer.