Secondary Metabolite from Nigella Sativa Seeds Mediated Synthesis of Silver Oxide Nanoparticles for Efficient Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity

Nanotherapeutic agents play a crucial role in medicine and the bio-nanotechnology field. Because of its cost-effectiveness, plant-based nanoparticle production has sparked a lot of attention, sustainable way, eco-friendly nature, and a plethora of applications. In the present study, the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of aqueous extract of Nigella Sativa seeds have been investigated. AgNPs synthesized using N. Sativa extract, characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) techniques showed a peak at 430 nm, with size ranging between 12.97 and 16.37 nm with a spherical shape. Three assays were used to test the antioxidant activity of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles: DPPH, FRAP, and TAC radical scavenging assays, all of which showed strong antioxidant capacity. The disk diffusion method was used for determining the antimicrobial activity of AgNPs. Evaluation of the antimicrobial potential of biosynthesized AgNPs registered the highest inhibitory activity against S. aureus (17.38 mm) followed by E. coli (16.45 mm), B. subtilis (15.5 mm), P. aeruginosa (14.6 mm), and S. Typhimurium (14.35 mm). It was noted that the increased extract concentration in biosynthesized AgNPs leads to a higher zone of inhibition. These results indicated that AgNPs have an effective and strong antimicrobial activity that provides a marvelous source for the development of a new antibacterial drug that can be used for solving the problem of microbial resistance.