Green biosynthesized silver nanoparticles from Helichrysum arenarium: characterization, antimicrobial efficacy, cancer cell selectivity, and zebrafish toxicity


Yiğit A., Köktürk M., Nazli D., Karacalı Tunç A., Yıldırım Kocaman A., Ozhan G., ...Daha Fazla

Chemical Papers, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s11696-026-04842-1
  • Dergi Adı: Chemical Papers
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Antimicrobial, Biofilm inhibition, Cancer therapy, Cytotoxicity, Green synthesis, Helichrysum arenarium, Nanoparticles, Zebrafish
  • Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have interest in biomedical research because of their antimicrobial and anticancer activities. In the present study, AgNPs were synthesized using green synthesis by Helichrysum arenarium (HA) flower extract. The average particle size of HA-AgNPs was 9.96 ± 0.39 nm and mainly displayed a spherical morphology. Characterization analyses verified the crystalline structure and high silver content. The existence of plant-derived biomolecules on the nanoparticle surface was confirmed with FT-IR analysis. The biological effects of HA-AgNPs were evaluated using both in vitro and in vivo techniques. After nanoparticle exposure, zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and larvae exhibited dose-dependent developmental abnormalities, including reduced hatching rates, increased mortality, and weaker sensorimotor responses. Cytotoxicity assays demonstrated antiproliferative effects against liver (HEPG2) and colon (HT29) cancer cell lines, while HUVEC cells exhibited comparatively lower sensitivity to HA-AgNPs treatment. In addition, the HA-AgNPs exhibited antibacterial activity against S. aureus (9 ± 1 mm), P. aeruginosa (9 ± 0.5 mm), E. coli (10 ± 1 mm), E. faecalis (5 ± 0.1 mm), and K. pneumoniae (5 ± 0.1 mm). Biofilm formation was inhibited by 77 ± 1% for E. faecalis, 88 ± 1% for E. coli and P. aeruginosa, 85 ± 1% for S. aureus, and 87 ± 1% for K. pneumoniae. The results suggest that HA-AgNPs possess promising antimicrobial and anticancer properties, while emphasizing the need for careful toxicity evaluation in biomedical applications.