Facile synthesis of Au and Ag nanoparticles using fruit extract of Lycium chinense and their anticancer activity

A simple green approach for the synthesis of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles was prepared using Lycium chinense (LC) fruit extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by relevant surface plasmon resonance peaks for gold and silver nanoparticles at 536 and 480 nm, respectively, with an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. The confirmation of gold and silver elements in the synthesized NPs with maximum distribution profiles and the crystallographic nature of the synthesized NPs were confirmed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, elemental mapping, and X-ray diffraction analysis. LC-prepared silver NPs (LC-AgNPs) antimicrobial activity demonstrated inhibitory activity against pathogenic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The synthesized LC-prepared gold NPs (LC-AuNPs) did not show inhibitory activity. The LC-AgNPs exhibited significant cytotoxicity to the human breast cancer MCF7 cell line and less cytotoxicity to non-diseased RAW264.7 (murine macrophage) cells, whereas LC-AuNPs showed minimal toxicity to both cell lines. The rapidly synthesized NPs could play a role in the field of nanotechnology and in biomedical applications.