Biochemical and Molecular Mechanism of Plant-mediated Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles – A Review

In the past few decades, metal nanoparticles have received a great deal of attention from researchers. Particularly, silver nanoparticles have great potential in a wide range of applications such as antimicrobials, drug delivery carriers, sensors, optoelectronics, and attractive gadgets. Designing a systematic and natural or environmentally-friendly method for blending metal nanoparticles could be a principal step within the field of nanotechnology. Awareness of “green nanotechnology” in nanoparticle synthesis is developing amongst scientists. In the recent decade, more than a hundred different plant extract sources for synthesizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been described. The majority of publications focused on the union and characterization of several plant parts; however, a few articles focused on the role of biomolecules in plants and the working conditions involved in the amalgamation. This review highlights the potential of plant extracts in the synthesis of AgNPs with a special focus on the biochemical and molecular mechanism involved in the synthesis of AgNPs using plant extract as a reducing and capping agent. The present review also includes the characterization of AgNPs and the physical parameters affecting the size and shape of AgNPs.