Controllable and extra-fast synthesis of bio-applicable silver nanoparticles with Lycium Barbarum L. aqueous extract and visible light

ABSTRACT

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) possess excellent antibacterial activity, while the potential biotoxicity will limit their applications in biomedical fields. It is necessary and crucial to inhibit the toxicity effect of AgNPs. In the present work, Lycium barbarum L. (L. barbarum) aqueous extract was adopted to controllably and extra-fast synthesize the L. barbarum modified AgNPs (L-AgNPs) under visible light. Effects of L. barbarum concentration and illumination time were investigated, and the yield of L-AgNPs reached 100% under the optimized conditions. The formation mechanism under visible light has also been put forward. A certain amount of L. barbarum aqueous extract was adsorbed on the L-AgNPs, which was confirmed by the results of FTIR and EDX. The obtained L-AgNPs exhibited excellent antimicrobial activities, in which the adsorbedaqueous extract exerted important regulating effect. Moreover, MTT-test showed that the L-AgNPs possessed good biosafety for their negligible cytotoxicity, which potentially could be used in biomedical fields.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Silver nanoparticles
• Lycium barbarum L. aqueous extract
• green synthesis
• antimicrobial activity
• biosafety

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81673711, 81573887) and Key Projects of Technological Innovation of Hubei Province, China (2016ACA138).