The Antioxidant and In Vitro Wound Healing Activity of Cotyledon orbiculata Aqueous Extract and the Synthesized Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 23; no. 24; p. 16094
• Main Authors: Tyavambiza, Caroline, Meyer, Mervin, Wusu, Adedoja Dorcas, Madiehe, Abram Madimabe, Meyer, Samantha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 17-12-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - pharmacology; cell migration; Cell proliferation; Cotyledon; Cotyledon orbiculata; Fibroblasts; Flowers & plants; Free radicals; Gene expression; Genes; Growth factors; Herbal medicine; Inflammation; Medicine; Metal Nanoparticles; Microorganisms; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Phytochemicals; Plant extracts; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plants; Polyphenols; Silver; Silver - pharmacology; silver nanoparticles; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Wound Healing; South Africa; cell migration; wound healing; cell proliferation; silver nanoparticles; gene expression
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms232416094

The synthesis of silver nanoparticles using biogenic methods, particularly plants, has led to the discovery of several effective nanoparticles. In many instances, plant-derived silver nanoparticles have been shown to have more activity than the plant extract which was used to synthesize the nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized using the medicinal plant,
This is a shrub found in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It has a long history of use in traditional medicine in the treatment of wounds and skin infections. The
synthesized silver nanoparticles (
-AgNPs) were reported to have good antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities; however, their wound-healing properties have not been determined. This study aimed to determine the wound healing activity of
-AgNPs using the scratch assay. Gene expression studies were also done to determine the nanoparticles' mechanism of action. The
-AgNPs showed good antioxidant, growth-promoting and cell migration properties. Gene expression studies showed that the
water extract and
-AgNPs promoted wound healing by upregulating genes involved in cell proliferation, migration and growth while downregulating pro-inflammatory genes. This confirms, for the first time that a water extract of
and silver nanoparticles synthesized from this extract are good wound-healing agents.