Phycotoxicity and catalytic reduction activity of green synthesized Oscillatoria gelatin-capped silver nanoparticles

Abstract Over the last decade, an extensive range of consumer products containing manufactured silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been progressively used. The unfitting usage and discharge of these materials can enable passage of AgNPs into the aquatic ecosystem causing prospective toxicological consequence. The present study shed new lights on the phycotoxicity of small (8.47–17.66 nm) and stable Oscillatoria reduced gelatin-capped silver nanoparticles (OG-AgNPs) fabricated using a completely green synthetic technique. In this work, estimating of the possible toxic effects of OG-AgNPs on two freshwater microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella minutissima was carried. This study found that, the growth of cells and photosynthetic pigment inhibitory effects of OG-AgNPs exhibit a significant increase with increasing time and concentration compared to control. Based on the IC50 value C. vulgaris (3.705 μg/mL) was found to be more sensitive to OG-AgNPs than C. minutissima (5.8 μg/mL). This study revealed that OG-AgNPs exhibit potent phycotoxic effect against Chlorella species. Finally, the negative effect of OG-AgNPs on aquatic algae and these modifications might have severe effects on structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. Besides, the biosynthesized OG-AgNPs showed a catalytic activity in the reduction of hydrogen peroxide, one of the reactive oxygen species that represent a major threat to biological systems. This method pretends an auspicious non-skill dependent technique with a good sensitivity for determination of H2O2 concentration, particularly at trace ppm level for applying in numerous domains such as medical and industrial processes.