Phytochemical analysis of Vicia sativa L. leaves: Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles, quantitative analysis of phenolic compounds and antiproliferative activity

Medicinal plants are used as folk medicine by most of the world’s population. The use of plants to produce commercially important natural or recombinant compounds has gained increasing interest in recent decades. Bioactive compounds derived from plants are effectively used in drug discovery and development. Plant-based nanoparticle synthesis is considered a green, reliable technique due to its environmentally friendly approach. In this study, a simple and eco-friendly approach for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Vicia sativa leaves as a reducing agent is reported. The change in colour of the leaves exposed to the AgNO3 solution from yellow to brown confirmed the formation of silver nanoparticles (vs-AgNPs). The maximum absorption at 427 nm proved the desired product. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirming characteristic peaks indicate the crystal planes of the face-centered cubic structure. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis confirmed the presence of spherical nanoparticles with an average size of 18.4 nm. Quantitative analysis revealed that the V. sativa leaves include chlorogenic acid and rutin as major compounds. Antiproliferative activity of the extract and nanoparticles was evaluated using Caco-2 (Human colon adenocarcinoma) cell lines and MCF-7 (Breast cancer) cell lines. The viability of Caco-2 cells was reported to be 36.4 ± 0.7% and 48.1 ± 0.3%, after interaction with vs-AgNPs and the extract, respectively, at 0.5 µg/mL. Moreover, the viability of MCF-7 cells was determined to be 36.2 ± 1.1% and 43.0 ± 1.4%, respectively, upon treatment with vs-AgNPs and the extract at 0.5 µg/mL. Consequently, vs-AgNPs may be a promising agent for pharmaceutical applications.