Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles via Moringa oleifera seed extract: antioxidant, antibacterial and anticarcinogenic activity on lung cancer

Abstract

Plant-mediated biosynthesis of nanoparticles is a green method that allows synthesis in one-pot process. Synthesis of gold nanoparticles with plant extracts has gained interest in the field of biomedicine due to its variety of applications. This study presents the synthesis via green chemistry of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using the methanol extract of Moringa oleifera seeds. The AuNPs were synthesized at room temperature. UV–Vis spectroscopy confirmed the formation of AuNPs by identifying the surface plasmon resonance located at 546 nm. TEM analysis shows spherical nanoparticles. FTIR analysis demonstrated the presence of specific bioactive molecules responsible for the Au³⁺ ion reduction process. The antioxidant activity of the nanoparticles was evaluated on the stabilization of the DPPH radical (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hydrazyl). The antimicrobial activity analysis was developed by broth microdilution method at different concentrations against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Minimum inhibitory concentration were 400 µg/mL and 200 µg/mL, respectively. A549 lung cancer cell proliferation was measured according to the MTT protocol, indicating a dose-dependent response and a IC₅₀ of 163.9 ± 13.27 µg/mL. The AuNPs synthesized using M. oleifera seeds showed promise as active materials for antimicrobial or anticancer products.

Keywords:

• Green synthesis
• Moringa oleifera
• gold nanoparticles
• antibacterial
• antiproliferative
• lung cancer

Acknowledgements

D. C. Bouttier-Figueroa acknowledges the grant from the postdoctoral position at the Universidad de Sonora and CONAHCYT. We acknowledge the use of facilities within the Eyring Materials Center at Arizona State University. The author M. Cortez-Valadez appreciates the support received by the CONAHCYT program "Investigadores por México"

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.