AUTHOR=Kojom Foko Loick Pradel , Hawadak Joseph , Verma Vaishali , Belle Ebanda Kedi Philippe , Eboumbou Moukoko Carole Else , Kamaraju Raghavendra , Pande Veena , Singh Vineeta 

TITLE=Phytofabrication and characterization of Alchornea cordifolia silver nanoparticles and evaluation of antiplasmodial, hemocompatibility and larvicidal potential

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1109841

DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2023.1109841

ISSN=2296-4185

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Purpose:</bold> The recent emergence of <italic>Plasmodium falciparum</italic> (<italic>Pf</italic>) parasites resistant to current artemisinin-based combination therapies in Africa justifies the need to develop new strategies for successful malaria control. We synthesized, characterized and evaluated medical applications of optimized silver nanoparticles using <italic>Alchornea cordifolia</italic> (AC-AgNPs), a plant largely used in African and Asian traditional medicine.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Fresh leaves of <italic>A. cordifolia</italic> were used to prepare aqueous crude extract, which was mixed with silver nitrate for AC-AgNPs synthesis and optimization. The optimized AC-AgNPs were characterized using several techniques including ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), scanning/transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Zeta potential. Thereafter, AC-AgNPs were evaluated for their hemocompatibility and antiplasmodial activity against <italic>Pf</italic> malaria strains 3D7 and RKL9. Finally, lethal activity of AC-AgNPs was assessed against mosquito larvae of <italic>Anopheles stephensi</italic>, <italic>Culex quinquefasciatus</italic> and <italic>Aedes aegypti</italic> which are vectors of neglected diseases such as dengue, filariasis and chikungunya.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The AC-AgNPs were mostly spheroidal, polycrystalline (84.13%), stable and polydispersed with size of 11.77 ± 5.57 nm. FTIR revealed the presence of several peaks corresponding to functional chemical groups characteristics of alkanoids, terpenoids, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, anthraquonones and saponins. The AC-AgNPs had a high antiplasmodial activity, with IC<sub>50</sub> of 8.05 μg/mL and 10.31 μg/mL against 3D7 and RKL9 <italic>Plasmodium falciparum</italic> strains. Likewise, high larvicidal activity of AC-AgNPs was found after 24 h- and 48 h-exposure: LC<sub>50</sub> = 18.41 μg/mL and 8.97 μg/mL (<italic>Culex quinquefasciatus</italic>), LC<sub>50</sub> = 16.71 μg/mL and 7.52 μg/mL (<italic>Aedes aegypti</italic>) and LC<sub>50</sub> = 10.67 μg/mL and 5.85 μg/mL (<italic>Anopheles stephensi</italic>). The AC-AgNPs were highly hemocompatible (HC<sub>50</sub> &gt; 500 μg/mL).</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> In worrying context of resistance of parasite and mosquitoes, green nanotechnologies using plants could be a cutting-edge alternative for drug/insecticide discovery and development.</p>