Biosynthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles mediated by cistus salviifolius L. and Ferula communis L. extracts and evaluation of their antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic potentials

In this research, we employed a microwave-assisted green synthesis method utilizing extracts from Cistus salviifolius L. and Ferula communis L. to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Subsequently, we characterized the biosynthesized AgNPs, both Cs-AgNPs (derived from C. salviifolius) and Fc-AgNPs (derived from F. communis), through UV-Vis, FT-IR, XRD, SEM, and TEM analyses. The AgNPs exhibited a spherical shape with sizes averaging below 11 nm. To assess their antioxidant activity, we employed the DPPH method. Furthermore, we examined the antimicrobial potential of Cs-AgNPs and Fc-AgNPs against pathogenic bacterial strains, including Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Escherichia coli, using the disc diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration. Additionally, we evaluated the cytotoxic effects of Cs-AgNPs and Fc-AgNPs on various cell lines, namely breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), colon carcinoma (HT-29), human keratinocytes (HaCaT), and embryonic kidney (HEK-293), employing the Alamar Blue assay. Our findings indicate that the biosynthesized Cs-AgNPs and Fc-AgNPs possess antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer activities. Therefore, the current study suggests that Cs-AgNPs and Fc-AgNPs exhibit potential for treating cancer and diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms.