Silver Nanoparticles Produced In Vitro by Berberis vulgaris Fruit and Their Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Ex Ovo Irritation Potential Study

Abstract

Green synthesis was successfully used for silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) preparation using Berberis vulgaris aqueous extracts. The ultraviolet and visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, photon cross-correlation spectroscopy (PCCS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques were used for characterization of the Ag NPs and confirmed the presence of Ag(0) in nanoparticles. The bimodal morphology was discovered, namely, the larger particles had elongated shape and size around 200 nm, while the smaller ones were spherical with a size of up to ten microns. All the nanoparticles (NPs) showed antioxidant activity against radical DPPH and ferric-reducing antioxidant power. The Ag NPs possess antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus comparable to silver nitrate solution. In addition, also irritation potential of the produced Ag NPs has been investigated ex Ovo and no irritation of vessels and their surroundings was found, which shows the harmless character of the products.