Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles with Antibacterial, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antioxidant Activity Using Convolvulus arvensis

Abstract

Due to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobial drugs in the treatment of infectious diseases, human pathogenic bacteria have developed resistance to many commercially available antibiotics. Medicinal plants such as Convolvulus arvensis represent a renewable resource for the development of alternative therapeutic agents. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) biosynthesized from C. arvensis against two clinical antibiotic-resistant bacterial isolates. The pathogenic isolates were identified as Staphylococcus aureus MRSA and Escherichia coli ESBL using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized via a green synthesis approach, and their physicochemical properties were characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, zeta potential, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The synthesized C. arvensis–AgNPs exhibited a surface plasmon resonance peak at 475 nm and predominantly spherical morphology with particle sizes ranging from 102.34 to 210.82 nm. FTIR analysis indicated the presence of O–H, C–O, C–N, C–H, and amide functional groups. The nanoparticles showed a zeta potential of −18.9 mV and an average hydrodynamic diameter of 63 nm. The antibacterial activity of the biosynthesized AgNPs was evaluated against methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA and ATCC 29213) and E. coli (ESBL and ATCC 25922) using agar diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays. Inhibition zones ranged from 10 to 13 mm, with MIC and MBC values of 12.5–25 µg/mL and 25–50 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, the nanoparticles exhibited antioxidant activity (DPPH assay, IC50 = 0.71 mg/mL) and anti-inflammatory effects as determined by protein denaturation inhibition. No cytotoxic effects were observed in the MCF-7 cell line at the MIC level. These findings suggest that C. arvensis–AgNPs have potential as natural antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory agents.