A Comparative Study on Centella Asiatica-Mediated Green Synthesis of Silver and Copper Oxide Nanoparticles: Implications for Wound Healing

Abstract

Conventional wound dressings often lack efficient antimicrobial properties and may exhibit limited bio-compatibility, necessitating the development of advanced solutions for effective wound healing. Green synthesis of nanoparticles opens the door to a strategy that is efficient in terms of pharmaceutical biotechnology, besides being nontoxic and eco-friendly. In the present study, Centella asiatica leaf extract conjugated with silver nanoparticles and copper oxide nanoparticles are synthesized and their bioactivity is compared. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) results show 4-butoxy-1-Butanol, Phthalic acid, and 2-propyldecan-1-ol as major phytochemicals in Centella asiatica. The green-synthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) and copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) are characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). TEM results confirm the circular morphology for Ag-NPs and elliptical structures for CuO-NPs, whereas energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectrum confirms the presence of Cu and Ag in their respective samples. XRD spectrum confirms that both the nanoparticles exhibit high crystallinity. Both nanoparticles demonstrate satisfactory radical scavenging activity as confirmed by the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. CuO-NPs exhibit greater antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in comparison to the Ag-NPs evident from the clear zone of inhibition obtained. In conclusion, green synthesized CuO-NPs prove to have enhanced wound healing activity in the NIH3T3 fibroblast cells than Ag-NPs.