Application of silver nanoparticles containing Gundelia tournefortii L. leaf aqueous extract in the treatment of microbial diseases and cutaneous wound healing

During the past few years, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have become some of the most investigated and explored nanotechnology-derived nanostructures, given the fact that nanosilver-based materials have interesting, challenging, and promising characteristics suitable for various biomedical applications. AgNPs have excellent medical and nonmedical effects and applications compared with other metallic nanoparticles. As regards modern biomedical applications of AgNPs, tremendous interest is oriented toward therapeutically enhanced personalized healthcare practice. AgNPs have genuine features and impressive potential for the development of novel performance-enhanced therapeutic alternatives, complex healthcare condition strategies, tissue restoration and regeneration materials, biomaterial and medical device coatings, detection and diagnosis platforms, drug-delivery formulations, and antimicrobial agents. In this study, fresh leaves of Gundelia tournefortii L. were used for the synthesis of AgNPs. Also, we assessed the cytotoxic, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, and cutaneous wound healing properties of AgNO3, G. tournefortii, and the synthesized nanoparticles (AgNPs@GT). These nanoparticles were characterized using various techniques. In X-ray diffraction analysis, 16.7 nm was measured for the crystal size of the nanoparticles. Also, scanning and transmission electron microscopy images revealed an average diameter of 16.5 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic results indicated that antioxidant compounds in the plant were the sources of reducing power, reducing silver ions to AgNPs@GT. In vitro biological experiments indicated that AgNPs@GT has excellent antioxidant potential against DPPH, antifungal effects against Candida krusei, C. guilliermondii, C. glabrata, and C. albicans, and antibacterial activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Bacillus subtilis. Also, these nanoparticles showed no cytotoxic effect against human umbilical vein endothelial cells. In vivo biological tests revealed that AgNPs@GT ointment significantly (p <= 0.01) increased the levels of wound contracture, blood vessels, hydroxyproline, hexuronic acid, hexosamine, fibrocytes, fibroblasts, and fibrocyte-to-fibroblast ratio and significantly (p <= 0.01) decreased the levels of wound area, total cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in rats. These results indicate that the inclusion of G. tournefortii extract ameliorates the solubility of AgNPs, which led to a marked enhancement in fungicidal, bactericidal, and cutaneous wound healing effects under in vitro and in vivo conditions.