Antiproliferative activity of gold and silver nanoparticles fabricated using bark extract of Murraya koenigii

Biologically synthesizing nanoparticles is an eco-friendly, new-fangled, and scaled-up technology. For instance, nanoparticle synthesis using organic resources, such as plants, is often safe. Owing to drug addiction and the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, disease prevalence and medical use have increased globally. Nano-formulation-based anti-microbial drugs are an alternative therapy for drug-resistant infections. This study reported the preparation of, gold (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the extract of Murraya koenigii (MK) bark, which was also used as an anti-bacterial and anti-cancer agent. Bio-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized via UV-visible spectroscopy, and Fourier Transform Infrared analysis which further validated the presence of biological components in the reaction mixture. Quasi-spherical forms of AuNPs and AgNPs were visible in the TEM images. For MK-AuNPs, the dimensions of the nanoparticles were 23 +/- 2 nm and 25 +/- 2 nm, respectively. Zeta potential calculations showed stable nanoparticles with a negative surface charge. In this study, we found that these nanoparticles have good anti-bacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Escherichia coli bacterial strains. Furthermore, MK-AuNPs and MK-AgNPs inhibited the growth of lung cancer (A549) cell lines. Thus, it can be said that these nanoparticles could be used as anti-bacterial agents against pathogenic bacteria and in treating human lung cancer.