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. 2024 Jan 23;13(3):333.
doi: 10.3390/plants13030333.

Application of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. Extracts for the Phytosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles: Characterization and Biomedical Potential

Ioana Raluca Șuică-Bunghez  1 , Raluca Mădălina Senin  1 , Ana Alexandra Sorescu  1 , Mihaela Ganciarov  1 , Iuliana Răut  1 , Cristina Firincă  1   2 , Mariana Constantin  1   3 , Ioana Cătălina Gifu  1 , Rusăndica Stoica  1 , Irina Fierăscu  1   4 , Radu Claudiu Fierăscu  1   5
Affiliations

Application of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. Extracts for the Phytosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles: Characterization and Biomedical Potential

Ioana Raluca Șuică-Bunghez et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Nanotechnology can offer a series of new "green" and eco-friendly methods for developing different types of nanoparticles, among which the development of nanomaterials using plant extracts (phytosynthesis) represents one of the most promising areas of research. This present study details the use of lavender flowers (Lavandula angustifolia Mill., well-known for their use in homeopathic applications) for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles with enhanced antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Several qualitative and quantitative assays were carried out in order to offer an image of the extracts' composition (the recorded total phenolics content varied between 21.0 to 40.9 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalents)/g dry weight (d.w.), while the total flavonoids content ranged between 3.57 and 16.8 mg CE (catechin equivalents)/g d.w.), alongside modern analytical methods (such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-GC-MS, quantifying 12 phytoconstituents present in the extracts). The formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using lavender extract was studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS)/zeta potential, with the selected nanoparticles having crystallite sizes of approx. 14.55 nm (AgNP-L2) and 4.61 nm, respectively (for AgNP-L4), and hydrodynamic diameters of 392.4 nm (for AgNP-L2) and 391.6 nm (for AgNP-L4), determined by DLS. A zeta potential of around -6.4 mV was displayed for both samples while presenting as large aggregates, in which nanoparticle clusters with dimensions of around 130-200 nm can be observed. The biomedical applications of the extracts and the corresponding phytosynthesized nanoparticles were evaluated using antioxidant and antimicrobial assays. The obtained results confirmed the phytosynthesis of the silver nanoparticles using Lavandula angustifolia Mill. extracts, as well as their antioxidant and antimicrobial potential.

Keywords: DLS; SEM; UV-Vis; XRD; antimicrobial; lavender; phytochemical analysis; silver nanoparticles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the experimental procedure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Graphical representation of total polyphenols content (TPC, mg GAE/g d.w) and total flavonoids content (TFC, mg CE/g d.w); values in the graph represent means ± SEM, n = 3 per treatment group; means in a series (TPC, respectively, TFC) without a common superscript letter differ (p < 0.05) as analyzed by one-way ANOVA and the Tukey post hoc test.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Lavender extracts 1 to 4 (extracts L1 to L4, as described in Section 4); (b) phytosynthesized NP solutions 2 h after the addition of the silver salt.
Figure 4
Figure 4
UV-Vis spectra of AgNP phytosynthesized, compared with the corresponding extracts: (a) L1, (b) L2, (c) L3, and (d) L4.
Figure 4
Figure 4
UV-Vis spectra of AgNP phytosynthesized, compared with the corresponding extracts: (a) L1, (b) L2, (c) L3, and (d) L4.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Comparison of FTIR spectra of extract L1 and its corresponding NP solution (AgNPs-L1) with the lavender oil, ethanol, and silver salt.
Figure 6
Figure 6
SEM micrograph of AgNP obtained using lavender extracts: (a) AgNP-L1; (b) AgNP-L2; (c) AgNP-L3; and (d) AgNP-L4.
Figure 7
Figure 7
DLS analysis of AgNP obtained using lavender extracts: (a) AgNP-L2 and (b) AgNP-L4; and the zeta potential measurements of the samples: (c) AgNP-L2 and (d) AgNP-L4.
Figure 8
Figure 8
XRD diffractograms of AgNP obtained using lavender extracts: (a) AgNP-L2 and (b) AgNP-L4; the asterisk marks the maxima corresponding to the Ag2O phase.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Results of the antioxidant properties evaluation: values are means ± SEM, n = 3 per treatment group. Means without a common superscript letter differ (p < 0.05) as analyzed by one-way ANOVA and the Tukey post hoc test.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Antimicrobial activity of AgNP-lavender extract against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans.
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