Plant mediated synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Alcea rosea leaf aqueous extract and evaluation of the biological activities

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are well-known for their distinctive optical, electronic, and antimicrobial properties, enabling their versatile applications in areas such as biosensors, photonics, electronics, drug delivery, and antimicrobial treatments. The biological synthesis approach offers a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional physical and chemical methods. Metal and metal oxide nanoparticles derived from plant extracts are emerging as promising agents with notable medicinal potential. This study presents a cost-effective, simple, and eco-friendly method for synthesizing silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). This method reduces silver ions into stable Ag NPs using an aqueous leaf extract of Alcea rosea. The synthesized Ag NPs were characterized using various techniques, including UV-visible, FTIR, XRD, FESEM, and EDX. The Ag NPs demonstrated notable antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. They exhibited excellent inhibition of DPPH free radical scavenging activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 80.05 ± 1.53 µg/mL. Strong antibacterial activity was observed against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Shigella sonnei, with significant MIC and MBC values. Furthermore, the nanoparticles showed potent anticancer activity, with an IC₅₀ of 54.46 ± 1.67 µg/mL against cervical cancer cell lines. These findings suggest that the synthesized Ag NPs have promising potential for medical applications, especially in drug development.