Review on Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles through Plants

Nature has the potential to reduce metal salts to their relative nanoparticles. Traditionally, physical and chemical methods were used for the synthesis of nanoparticles but due to the use of toxic chemicals, non-ecofriendly methods and other harmful effects, green chemistry approaches are now employed for synthesizing nanoparticles which are basically the most cost effective, ecofriendly and non-hazardous methods. In this review, we aimed to evaluate and study the details of various mechanisms used for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from plants, their size, shape and potential applications. A total of 150 articles comprising both research and review articles from 2009 to 2019 were selected and studied in detail to get in-depth knowledge about the synthesis of silver nanoparticles specifically through green chemistry approaches. Silver ions and their salts are well known for their antimicrobial properties and have been used in various medical and non-medical applications since the emergence of human civilization. Miscellaneous attempts have been made to synthesize nanoparticles using plants and such nanoparticles are more efficient and beneficial in terms of their antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-biofilm and cytotoxic activities than nanoparticles synthesized through physical and chemical processes. Silver nanoparticles have been studied as an important research area due to their specific and tunable properties and their application in the field of biomedicine such as tissue and tumor imaging and drug delivery. These nanoparticles can be further investigated to find out their antimicrobial potential in cell lines and animal models.