Biofabricated Fatty Acids-Capped Silver Nanoparticles as Potential Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antibiofilm and Anticancer Agents

Abstract

The current study demonstrates the synthesis of fatty acids (FAs) capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous poly-herbal drug Liv52 extract (PLE) as a reducing, dispersing and stabilizing agent. The NPs were characterized by various techniques and used to investigate their potent antibacterial, antibiofilm, antifungal and anticancer activities. GC-MS analysis of PLE shows a total of 37 peaks for a variety of bio-actives compounds. Amongst them, n-hexadecanoic acid (21.95%), linoleic acid (20.45%), oleic acid (18.01%) and stearic acid (13.99%) were found predominately and most likely acted as reducing, stabilizing and encapsulation FAs in LIV-AgNPs formation. FTIR analysis of LIV-AgNPs shows some other functional bio-actives like proteins, sugars and alkenes in the soft PLE corona. The zone of inhibition was 10.0 ± 2.2-18.5 ± 1.0 mm, 10.5 ± 2.5-22.5 ± 1.5 mm and 13.7 ± 1.0-16.5 ± 1.2 against <i>P. aeruginosa</i>, <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>C. albicans</i>, respectively. LIV-AgNPs inhibit biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner i.e., 54.4% ± 3.1%-10.12% ± 2.3% (<i>S. aureus</i>)<i>,</i> 72.7% ± 2.2%-23.3% ± 5.2% (<i>P. aeruginosa</i>) and 85.4% ± 3.3%-25.6% ± 2.2% (<i>C. albicans</i>), and SEM analysis of treated planktonic cells and their biofilm biomass validated the fitness of LIV-AgNPs in future nanoantibiotics. In addition, as prepared FAs rich PLE capped AgNPs have also exhibited significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05 *) antiproliferative activity against cultured HCT-116 cells. Overall, this is a very first demonstration on employment of FAs rich PLE for the synthesis of highly dispersible, stable and uniform sized AgNPs and their antibacterial, antifungal, antibiofilm and anticancer efficacy.