Exploring The Antioxidant And Antimicrobial Potential Of Acmella Oleracea: Synthesis And Evaluation Of Iron Nanoparticles

Abstract

Plants have antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. Due to their phytochemical content, plants have several properties. These exercises may aid in the treatment and prevention of certain ailments. Ascorbic acid and Acmella oleracea extracts extracted in hexane, chloroform, and ethanol were evaluated for antioxidant activities. The ethanol extract showed the highest antioxidant activity, with inhibitory percentages of 51.53% at 100 µg/ml, 23.467% at 200 µg/ml, and 4.63% at 300 µg/ml. All percentages resulted in an IC50 value of 99.9 µg/ml. Hexane extract has moderate antioxidant activity, with inhibition rates of 43.766%, 30.014%, and 16.221% at the same dosages. Additionally, the IC50 value was 54.7 µg/ml. The chloroform extract was least active. With an IC50 value of 26.6 µg/ml, ascorbic acid remains the strongest antioxidant. These extracts produced iron nanoparticles that were examined using XRD. The study found significant peaks at 24.393°, 32.275°, and 35.772°, indicating hematite (α-Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4). The Debye-Scherrer equation predicted a 50-nanometer nanoparticle size. SEM showed the form was largely spherical with minimal aggregation. However, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) detected iron, oxygen, carbon, sodium, aluminum, and chlorine. These observations suggest that the hexane extract has antioxidant action and that the iron nanoparticles produce benefits for potential applications. Acmella oleracea-derived iron nanoparticles displayed diverse levels of antimicrobial efficacy as evidenced by a clearly defined zone of inhibition. The results indicate that iron nanoparticles have potential for investigation in the formulation of antimicrobial coatings, medical devices, or therapy applications that require specific antibacterial or antifungal characteristics.