Publication

Abstract : The quest for potent wound healing agents has prompted the exploration of nanotechnology, particularly the use of nanoparticles synthesized via green methods. There is a growing need to create appropriate wound dressing material with exceptional features, such as antibacterial activity, biocompatibility, free radical scavenging capacity, and more, to effectively treat chronic wounds. The leaf extract of Lantana camara (LC), an invasive exotic weed is utilized in this research to produce silver nanoparticles (LC-AgNPs) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (LC-ZnONPs) in an ecologically sustainable manner with a special emphasis on their wound healing applications. Different analytical techniques were employed to characterize the biogenic nanoparticles that were synthesized, such as UV-VIS, XRD, SEM EDAX and TEM. The UVvisible absorbance peaks at 450 nm and 370 nm, respectively, confirmed the nanoscale presence of silver and zinc oxide particles. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated that the particles were exceptionally crystalline. Analysis by energy-dispersive X-ray confirmed the presence of ZnO and silver nanoparticles of high purity. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of LC-Ag NPs and LC-ZnONPs against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Aspergillus niger (ATCC 16404), and Candida albicans (ATCC 10231) were evaluated using the disc diffusion method. The remarkable efficacy exhibited by the synthesized particles against bacteria and fungi suggests that they may find utility in antimicrobial and antifungal applications. ZnO nanoparticles also exhibited excellent antioxidant activity. The LC50 value of 42.58 g/mL for LC-AgNPs is significantly lower than that of 79.66 g/mL for LC-ZnONPs, as determined by cytotoxicity studies. This discrepancy suggests that LC-ZnONPs may be a more suitable material for applications involving wound healing in a cost-effective manner. This research highlights the revolutionary effects of nanotechnology in the field of biomedicine and illustrates an environmentally benign, economical, and sustainable use of L. camara.