Leaf extract mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from widely available Indian plants: synthesis, characterization, antimicrobial property and toxicity analysis

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>In recent years, green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has gained much interest from chemists and researchers. In this concern, Indian flora has yet to divulge innumerable sources of cost-effective non-hazardous reducing and stabilizing compounds utilized in preparing AgNPs. This study investigates an efficient and sustainable route of AgNP preparation from 1 mM aqueous AgNO<jats:sub>3</jats:sub> using leaf extracts of three plants, <jats:italic>Musa balbisiana</jats:italic> (banana), <jats:italic>Azadirachta indica</jats:italic> (neem) and <jats:italic>Ocimum tenuiflorum</jats:italic> (black tulsi), well adorned for their wide availability and medicinal property.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p>AgNPs were prepared by the reaction of 1 mM silver nitrate and 5% leaf extract of each type of plant separately. the AgNPs were duely characterized and tested for their antibacterial activity and toxicity.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p>The AgNPs were characterized by UV-visible (vis) spectrophotometer, particle size analyzer (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) analysis was carried out to determine the nature of the capping agents in each of these leaf extracts. AgNPs obtained showed significantly higher antimicrobial activities against <jats:italic>Escherichia coli</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>E. coli</jats:italic>) and <jats:italic>Bacillus</jats:italic> sp. in comparison to both AgNO<jats:sub>3</jats:sub> and raw plant extracts. Additionally, a toxicity evaluation of these AgNP containing solutions was carried out on seeds of Moong Bean (<jats:italic>Vigna radiata</jats:italic>) and Chickpea (<jats:italic>Cicer arietinum</jats:italic>). Results showed that seeds treated with AgNP solutions exhibited better rates of germination and oxidative stress enzyme activity nearing control levels, though detailed mechanism of uptake and translocation are yet to be analyzed.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title> <jats:p>In totality, the AgNPs prepared are safe to be discharged in the environment and possibly utilized in processes of pollution remediation. AgNPs may also be efficiently utilized in agricultural research to obtain better health of crop plants as shown by our study.</jats:p> </jats:sec>