Green Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Properties of Silver Nanoparticles Obtained by Using Diverse Varieties of <i>Cannabis sativa</i> Leaf Extracts
Adriana Cecilia Csakvari,
Cristian Moisa,
Dana G. Radu,
Leonard M. Olariu,
Andreea I. Lupitu,
Anca Ofelia Panda,
Georgeta Pop,
Dorina Chambre,
Vlad Socoliuc,
Lucian Copolovici,
Dana Maria Copolovici
Affiliations
Adriana Cecilia Csakvari
Biomedical Sciences Doctoral School, University of Oradea, 1 University St., 410087 Oradea, Romania
Cristian Moisa
Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, 2 Elena Dragoi St., 310330 Arad, Romania
Dana G. Radu
Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, 2 Elena Dragoi St., 310330 Arad, Romania
Leonard M. Olariu
Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, 2 Elena Dragoi St., 310330 Arad, Romania
Andreea I. Lupitu
Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, 2 Elena Dragoi St., 310330 Arad, Romania
Anca Ofelia Panda
Faculty of Agriculture, Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, King Michael 1st of Romania from Timisoara, 119 Calea Aradului St., 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Georgeta Pop
Faculty of Agriculture, Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, King Michael 1st of Romania from Timisoara, 119 Calea Aradului St., 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Dorina Chambre
Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, 2 Elena Dragoi St., 310330 Arad, Romania
Vlad Socoliuc
Center for Fundamental and Advanced Technical Research, Romanian Academy–Timisoara Branch, Laboratory of Magnetic Fluids, Mihai Viteazul Ave. 24, 300223 Timisoara, Romania
Lucian Copolovici
Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, 2 Elena Dragoi St., 310330 Arad, Romania
Dana Maria Copolovici
Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, 2 Elena Dragoi St., 310330 Arad, Romania
Cannabis sativa L. (hemp) is a plant used in the textile industry and green building material industry, as well as for the phytoremediation of soil, medical treatments, and supplementary food products. The synergistic effect of terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids in hemp extracts may mediate the biogenic synthesis of metal nanoparticles. In this study, the chemical composition of aqueous leaf extracts of three varieties of Romanian hemp (two monoecious, and one dioecious) have been determined by Fourier-Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), high-performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-MS). Then, their capability to mediate the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and their pottential antibacterial applications were evaluated. The average antioxidant capacity of the extracts had 18.4 ± 3.9% inhibition determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) and 78.2 ± 4.1% determined by 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS™) assays. The total polyphenolic content of the extracts was 1642 ± 32 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) L−1. After this, these extracts were reacted with an aqueous solution of AgNO3 resulting in AgNPs, which were characterized by UV−VIS spectroscopy, FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results demonstrated obtaining spherical, stable AgNPs with a diameter of less than 69 nm and an absorbance peak at 435 nm. The mixture of extracts and AgNPs showed a superior antioxidant capacity of 2.3 ± 0.4% inhibition determined by the DPPH• assay, 88.5 ± 0.9% inhibition as determined by the ABTS•+ assay, and a good antibacterial activity against several human pathogens: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Staphylococcus aureus.
