Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Althaea officinalis and Pterocarpus santalinus Formulation and its Anti-inflammatory and Antimicrobial Activity against Oral Wound Pathogen

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using plant-derived bioactive compounds has emerged as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional chemical synthesis methods. Although several medicinal plants have been explored for nanoparticle synthesis, limited studies have investigated the combined use of Althaea officinalis and Pterocarpus santalinus extracts for the fabrication of AgNPs and evaluation of their biological activities. The objective of the study is to formulate a novel wound healing gel that can be used for oral wounds such as extraction sockets, surgical incisions, periodontal surgeries, etc. Therefore, the present study aimed to synthesize silver nanoparticles using aqueous extracts of A. officinalis and P. santalinus and to evaluate their in vitro antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. Plant extracts obtained from Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals were used as reducing and stabilizing agents for the synthesis of AgNPs. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by reacting the plant extracts with aqueous silver nitrate solution (1 mM concentration) under controlled conditions of temperature, pH, and incubation time. Nanoparticle formation was initially confirmed by UV–Visible spectroscopy, which showed a characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak at 450 nm. Antibacterial activity was evaluated against Candida albicans, Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus mutans, and Staphylococcus aureus using the agar well diffusion method, and the zones of inhibition were measured in millimeters. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited inhibitory activity against all tested microorganisms, with mean zones of inhibition of 15 mm for C. albicans, 17 mm for Lactobacillus sp., 9 mm for S. mutans, and 17 mm for S. aureus. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using bovine serum albumin denaturation, egg albumin denaturation, and membrane stabilization assays. The synthesized AgNPs demonstrated concentration-dependent anti-inflammatory effects, with a maximum inhibition of approximately 75% in protein denaturation assays and 80% membrane stabilization activity. The findings suggest that A. officinalis and P. santalinus-mediated AgNPs possess in vitro antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.