Green synthesis of Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite utilizing Eryngium planum L. leaf extract and its potential applications in medicine

In this study, the Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite was constructed by the leaf extract of Eryngium planum (L.) as an appropriate antibacterial and cytotoxic agent. The green synthesized nanostructure was characterized using UV-visible, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. In addition, the antibacterial and antifungal activity of Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite was determined by the disk diffusion method. The cytotoxicity of Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite was determined by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. XRD and FESEM analyses showed the crystalline nature of Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite and the spherical shape nanoparticles (NPs) with an average size of 26-42 nm, respectively. The antibacterial results indicated that the Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite at 150 mu g/mL showed a considerably higher inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, as compared to the others. The highest MIC and MBC of Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite (25 and 50 mu g/mL) were observed for K. pneumoniae. The lowest MIC and MBC of AgNPs (6.25 and 12.5 mg/mL) were observed for S. aureus and B. subtilis, respectively. The cytotoxicity results of Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite against both cancer and normal cell lines showed specific toxicity against HeLa cells with the most reduced IC50 concentration (55.83 mu g/mL). In this way, the green synthesized Ag/Fe3O4 nanocomposite may found significant biomedical applications.