Green Synthesis and Biological Assessments of Silver Nanoparticles Using the Plant Extract of Crataegus sinaica Boiss. Fruits

Crataegus sinaica Boiss is a hawthorn plant that was found as a hybrid of two species, C. azarolus and C. monogyna, which grows vastly in the mountains of the Protectorate of St. Catherine, South Sinai, Egypt. The fruits of the plant are rich in primary and secondary metabolites, for instance reducing, total sugars, flavonoids, and phenols as demonstrated by the phytochemical analysis. The aqueous extract of the fruits of the plant was used to prepare the silver nanoparticles by green method, in which the reducing and total sugars facilitate the preparation step as they act as reducing and stabilizing agents. The nanoparticles of the plant were efficiently synthesized through mixing Crataegus sinaica fruits aqueous extract with silver nitrate solution at room temperature following the predetermined procedures for nanoparticle preparation. The prepared nanoparticles were identified by means of spectroscopic and analytical measurements i.e. UV-vis, IR, TEM, and zeta sizer-zeta analyzer. The extract of the fruits of the plant and its silver nanoparticles were assessed as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents, in which the nanoparticle solution displayed the more potent activities against the diverse microbial species and potent antioxidant agent than the aqueous extract.