Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles: A Potent Therapeutic Agent

The evolution of bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a real threat to the global public health. Bacteria alter their genome to survive in the antibiotic stressed condition which result in the development of antibiotic resistance mechanism. Infelicitous use and abuse of antibiotics are the main cause of the development of antibiotic resistance mechanism. Chemically synthesized antibiotics is hazardous for the environment, and bacteria can easily develop a resistance mechanism through modification of their genetic machinery. However, biogenic silver nanoparticles are synthesized using the biomass of plant extract. Unlike chemically synthesized antibiotics, the biogenic silver nanoparticles first bind with the bacterial membrane through noncovalent interactions before manifesting their antibacterial activity. Therefore, it is highly unlikely for the bacteria to develop resistance mechanism against biogenic silver (Ag) nanoparticles. Furthermore, the synthesis procedure of biogenic nanoparticle is ecofriendly, cost effective and they are highly biocompatible. On the other hand, biogenic Ag nanoparticles usually spread uniformly throughout the tissues. They also have anticancer potential and stimulate the apoptotic pathways of cancer cells. In this chapter, we have summarized the important synthesis pathways of biogenic Ag nanoparticles as well as their biomedical applications (i.e., antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, antifungal, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, and wound healing activities).