Abstract
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•Green biosynthesis of Ephedra-AuNPs.•Characterization techniques used to analyze the Ephedra-AuNPs are UV–Visible absorption spectra, FTIR, HRTEM, EDX, XPS, and XRD.•Applications of Ephedra-AuNPs in light of antioxidant assay; antipyretic activity, antiasthma activity and antimicrobial activity.
The eco-friendly green bio-synthesis of Ephedra-AuNPs was constructed from Ephedra plant extract. The synthesis process was optimized using different volumes of Ephedra-extract, 10-3M (HAuCl4·3H2O) solution, reaction temperature, time, and pH of the solution. Where, 4 mL of Ephedra-extract, 6 mL of 10-3M (HAuCl4·3H2O) solution at 25 °C for 3 h at a pH of 4 are showed the optimum reaction parameters respectively. The characterization of AuNPs was verified by UV–vis. spectrophotometer, FTIR, microscopic techniques (TEM, HRTEM), Zeta potential, and X-ray techniques (XRD, EDX, XPS). The nanoparticles are extremely important materials in emerging the future sustainable technologies for the living beings. The AuNPs were employed in biological assays where ABTS assay used to investigate the antioxidant activity. The in-vivo study of AuNPs was executed to study the anti-pyretic and anti-asthma activities of Ephedra-AuNPs. Ephedra-AuNPs of 1.3 nm to 15.6 nm size were achieved which have as importance as proficient to bind with the biological systems. The Ephedra-AuNPs prepared exploiting Ephedra-extract which is considered to be influential anti-asthma agent and antipyretic agent reduced the fever by 83.3 % at 32μg/g/day. Further the Ephedra-AuNPs used to scrutinize the anti-bacterial activities for Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria moncytogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhimurium, and anti-fungal activities on Candida albicans, Aspergillus nigra and Aspergillus flavus. The synthesized Ephedra-AuNPs exhibited great potential activities comparable to the standard drugs in case of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans with the zone of inhibition of 25 ± 0.5 nm, 26 ± 0.6 nm and 24 ± 0.7 nm respectively. It is believed that the synthesized Ephedra-AuNPs to be a hopeful option intended for diverse biological applications.