நானோ அறிவியல் இதழ்: தற்போதைய ஆராய்ச்சி

Biotechnological Applications of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles

Abstract

Nafeesa Khatoon, Jahirul Ahmed Mazumder, Meryam Sardar

Silver and its compound have been widely used since from ancient time for the treatment of bacteria and wound infections especially in patients of serious burns. The use of silver compounds has been deteriorated due to emergence of new therapeutic agents. In the past decade nanotechnology has acquired pace due to its ability of modifying metals ions into their nano range, which dramatically changes their chemical, physical and optical properties. Silver nanoparticles have been proved a potential antimicrobial agent. Recently, the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been greatly enhanced, due to the development of antibiotic resistance against several pathogenic bacteria. The silver nanoparticles have been widely employed in biomedical industry as coatings in dressings, in medicinal devices and in the form of nanogels in cosmetics and lotions, etc. There are well established protocols for the preparation of silver nanoparticles can be broadly classified into physical, chemical and biological protocols. The physical and chemical processes often involve high temperatures/pressure for the reaction and the use of hazardous chemicals. Therefore the research in synthesis of nanoparticles by biological methods is gaining importance. Plant extracts are considered cost-effective, environment friendly and efficient alternative for the large-scale synthesis of nanoparticles. In the present review, we critically assess the role of plants in synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their biomedical applications.