Bioactive saponin assisted synthesis of Ag TiO2 nanostructures for biological and catalytic applications

Abstract

Simarouba glauca, also known as Lakshmitaru or paradise tree is an edible oil seed newlinebearing tree with a long history of use in traditional medicine. The seeds of this plant are newlinemajorly the source of oil which contains around 60 % of oil. However, after the extraction of newlinethe oil, the seed meal is being used as manure. The literature search revealed that the seed newlinemeal is a good source of protein with highly active metabolites and phytochemicals such as newlinealkaloids, phenolics and saponins. The major use of Simarouba glauca plant extracts has newlinebeen in the medical field. Some bioactive compounds have been used for clinical trials of newlinecancer research. The saponins from seed meal are well known for their excellent reducing as newlinewell as surfactant property. This aspect of the saponins could be used or exploited for newlineenvironmental remediation, especially as reducing agents in the synthesis of nanoparticles. newlineThe saponins turned out to be a potential source for the biological synthesis of silver newlinenanoparticles. Of the various nanoparticles nano silver (AgNPs) are the most frequently used newlineNPs for applications in various fields. The use of plant extracts for synthesis of nanoparticles newlineis sometimes referred to be as green synthesis as it is environmentally friendly compared to newlineother methods. Stable nanoparticles produced using plant sources finds their application in newlinevarious fields including cancer research, biosensors and as catalysts. Therefore, the focus of newlinethis research is on the synthesis of silver (AgNPs) and silver anchored TiO2 nanotubes using newlinepurified saponin extract from Simarouba glauca oil seed meal, as well as their newlinecharacterisation and potential utilization as catalysts in the reduction of dyes in presence of newlineNaBH4 and study on their biological properties. newlineThe investigation began with the proximate analysis of the seed meal followed by newlineextraction of saponins. Methanol was chosen as the ideal solvent for the extraction of newlinesaponins. The crude extract was subjected to purification by column chromatograph