A dual role of cumin-seed extract towards the silver nanoparticle synthesis and stabilisation and its potential for antibacterial and anticancer activities through oxidative damage

Nurunnesa Siddiqui, Kunal Pal, Parimal Karmakar, Md Maidul Islam and Subrata Mukhopadhyay

Abstract

The usual procedures for synthesising metal nanoparticles need sophisticated and expensive instruments or high-priced chemicals which are environmentally unsafe. Therefore, we used our assay green method for synthesising silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The method is simple, convenient and eco-friendly. Silver nanoparticle was synthesised using cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum) as both reducing and capping agents. Synthesised nanoparticle was characterised using UV–vis spectroscopy, XRD, DLS, TEM, SEM and FTIR analyses and the formation of 9–17 nm round shaped nanoparticles was established. Biochemical activities have been studied by affinity towards proteins (bovine serum albumin, human serum albumin and myoglobin), antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. The result showed that the synthesised nanoparticles have affinity towards protein molecules and show positively unsympathetic antibacterial activity to Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. Cytotoxic activity against Hep–2 cell line by the formation of reactive oxygen was also confirmed.