Cannonball (Couroupita guianensis) is a tree belonging to the family Lecythidaceae. Various parts of the tree have been reported to contain oils, keto steroids, glycosides, couroupitine, indirubin, isatin, and phenolic substances. We report here the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using cannonball leaves. Green synthesized nanoparticles have been characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, and FTIR. Cannonball leaf broth as a reducing agent converts silver ions to AgNPs in a rapid and ecofriendly manner. The UV-Vis spectra gave surface plasmon resonance peak at 434？nm. TEM image shows well-dispersed silver nanoparticles with an average particle size of 28.4？nm. FTIR showed the structure and respective bands of the synthesized nanoparticles and the stretch of bonds. Green synthesized silver nanoparticles by cannonball leaf extract show cytotoxicity to human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Overall, this environmentally friendly method of biological silver nanoparticles production provides rates of synthesis faster than or comparable to those of chemical methods and can potentially be used in various human contacting areas such as cosmetics, foods, and medical applications. 1. Introduction Couroupita guianensis, whose common names include ayahuma and the cannonball tree, is an evergreen tree allied to the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) and is native to tropical northern South America and to the southern Caribbean. As per textual record, the tree has been growing for the past three thousand years in India. The cannonball tree possesses many medicinal properties such as antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic, and analgesic qualities. Extracts of this tree were used to cure colds and stomach aches. Juice made from the leaves is used to cure skin diseases and malaria. The inside of the fruit can disinfect wounds and young leaves ease toothache. The fruit emits an unpleasant odour and can be used as an insect repellent just by rubbing it to the skin or clothes [1, 2]. Overall the tree possesses skin fibroblast proliferation, antioxidant [3, 4], antihelmintic [5], wound healing, antimicrobial, and antinociceptive [1] activities. Nanotechnology is significant on account of its pre-eminence upon the comprehension, use, and control of matter at magnitudes of a minute scale, akin to approaching atomic levels, with which to manufacture new substances, instruments, and frameworks [6]. The synthesis of nanocrystals is in the limelight in modern nanotechnology. Biosynthesis of nanoparticles by plant extracts is currently under exploitation [7].
References
[1]
P. U. Sanjay, K. N. Jayaveera, C. K. Ashock Kumar, and G. S. Kumar, “Antimicrobial, wound healing and antioxidant potential of Couroupita guianensis in rats,” Pharmacologyonline, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 269–281, 2007.
[2]
M. M. G. Pinheiro, S. O. Bessa, C. E. Fingolo et al., “Antinociceptive activity of fractions from Couroupita guianensis Aubl. leaves,” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol. 127, no. 2, pp. 407–413, 2010.
[3]
C. Castelluccio, G. Paganga, N. Melikian et al., “Antioxidant potential of intermediates in phenylpropanoid metabolism in higher plants,” FEBS Letters, vol. 368, no. 1, pp. 188–192, 1995.
[4]
F. Aqil, I. Ahmad, and Z. Mehmood, “Antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties of twelve traditionally used Indian medicinal plants,” Turkish Journal of Biology, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 177–183, 2006.
[5]
V. Rajamanickam, A. Rajasekaran, S. Darlin Quine, et al., “Anthelmintic activity of the flower extract of Couroupita guianensis,” The Internet Journal of Alternative Medicine, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 107–111, 2009.
[6]
R. P. Feynman, “There's plenty of room at the bottom,” Science, vol. 254, no. 5036, pp. 1300–1301, 1991.
[7]
J. Huang, Q. Li, D. Sun et al., “Biosynthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles by novel sundried Cinnamomum camphora leaf,” Nanotechnology, vol. 18, no. 10, Article ID 105104, 2007.
[8]
P. Mukherjee, A. Ahmad, D. Mandal, et al., “Fungus-mediated synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their immobilization in the mycelial matrix: a novel biological approach to nanoparticle synthesis,” Nano Letters, vol. 1, no. 10, pp. 515–519, 2001.
[9]
T. Klaus-Joerger, R. Joerger, E. Olsson, and C. G. Granqvist, “Bacteria as workers in the living factory: metal-accumulating bacteria and their potential for materials science,” Trends in Biotechnology, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 15–20, 2001.
[10]
N. Saifuddin, C. W. Wong, and A. A. N. Yasumira, “Rapid biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using culture supernatant of bacteria with microwave irradiation,” E-Journal of Chemistry, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 61–70, 2009.
[11]
M. Kowshik, S. Ashtaputre, S. Kharrazi et al., “Extracellular synthesis of silver nanoparticles by a silver-tolerant yeast strain MKY3,” Nanotechnology, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 95–100, 2003.
[12]
S. Minaeian, A. R. Shahverdi, A. S. Nohi, and H. R. Shahverdi, “Extracellular biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles by some bacteria,” Journal of Sciences Islamic Azad University, vol. 17, no. 66, pp. 1–4, 2008.
[13]
S. Karthick Raja, S. Ganesh, and Avimanyu, “Evaluation of anti-bacterial activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized from Candida glabrata and Fusarium oxysporum,” International Journal of Medicobiological Research, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 130–136, 2011.
[14]
T. Mosmann, “Rapid colorimetric assay for cellular growth and survival: application to proliferation and cytotoxicity assays,” Journal of Immunological Methods, vol. 65, no. 1-2, pp. 55–63, 1983.
[15]
P. Mulvaney, “Surface plasmon spectroscopy of nanosized metal particles,” Langmuir, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 788–800, 1996.
[16]
K. Govindaraju, S. Tamilselvan, V. Kiruthiga, and G. Singaravelu, “Biogenic silver nanoparticles by Solanum torvum and their promising antimicrobial activity,” Journal of Biopesticides, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 394–399, 2010.
[17]
G. Thirumurugan and M. D. Dhanaraju, “Novel biogenic metal nanoparticles for pharmaceutical applications,” Advanced Science Letters, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 339–348, 2011.
[18]
A. M. Priya, R. K. Selvan, B. Senthilkumar, M. K. Satheeshkumar, and C. Sanjeeviraja, “Synthesis and characterization of CdWO4 nanocrystals,” Ceramics International, vol. 37, no. 7, pp. 2485–2488, 2011.
[19]
J. Kasthuri, K. Kathiravan, and N. Rajendiran, “Phyllanthin-assisted biosynthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles: a novel biological approach,” Journal of Nanoparticle Research, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 1075–1085, 2009.
[20]
R. Kavitha, P. Kamalakannan, S. Sridhar, et al., “In vitro antimicrobial activity and phytochemical analysis of Indian medicinal plant Couroupita guianensis Aubl,” Journal of Chemical Pharmaceutical Research, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 115–121, 2011.
[21]
M. Juvekar, A. Juvekar, M. Kulkarni, et al., “Phytochemical and pharmacological studies on the leaves of Couroupita guianensis Aubl,” Planta Medica, vol. 75, p. PJ168, 2009.
[22]
S. Marimuthu, A. A. Rahuman, G. Rajakumar et al., “Evaluation of green synthesized silver nanoparticles against parasites,” Parasitology Research, vol. 108, no. 6, pp. 1541–1549, 2011.
[23]
A. Sowemimo, M. van de Venter, L. Baatjies, and T. Koekemoer, “Cytotoxic activity of selected Nigerian plants,” African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 526–528, 2009.
[24]
A. Martínez, E. Conde, A. Moure, H. Domnguez, and R. J. Estévez, “Protective effect against oxygen reactive species and skin fibroblast stimulation of Couroupita guianensis leaf extracts,” Natural Product Research, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 314–322, 2012.
