Green Synthesis and Biological Activities of Silver Nanoparticles from Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) Seed Extracts: Antimicrobial, Anti-Quorum Sensing, and Cytotoxic Properties

Abstract

Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using plant extracts is an eco-friendly alternative to conventional chemical methods. Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) seeds, rich in bioactive compounds, are a suitable source for sustainable nanoparticle production. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were green-synthesized using aqueous extracts of fresh and roasted hazelnut seeds collected from the Ordu region of Türkiye. AgNPs were obtained by mixing the extracts with silver nitrate solutions at 1, 2, and 3 mM. The activity of the synthesized nanoparticles was evaluated through antimicrobial testing against ten pathogenic microorganisms, anti-quorum sensing assays with Chromobacterium violaceum, and cytotoxicity assessment with Artemia salina. All experiments were performed in three independent replicates; data are presented as mean±standard deviation. Both extracts produced stable AgNPs, whose formation, morphology, elemental composition, size distribution and surface charge were confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS)/zeta-potential analysis; the surface plasmon resonance maxima appeared at 410-425 nm and the particles were spherical with sizes of about 12-40 nm. The synthesized AgNPs showed concentration-dependent inhibition of the pathogens, with the highest susceptibility observed for Staphylococcus aureus (11.6 mm at 3 mM). Compared with the ionic silver (AgNO₃) control, AgNP inhibition zones were lower for most species but higher for S. aureus, particularly at high concentrations. In the broth microdilution assay, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) decreased significantly with concentration, and at 3 mM the fresh seed AgNPs were the most potent, with a significantly lower MIC than the roasted seed AgNPs and the control. The widest anti-quorum sensing zone against C. violaceum was 14.2 mm, and the effect was concentration-dependent. Cytotoxicity followed a concentration-dependent profile that remained limited at low concentrations (LC₅₀ 0.16-0.89 µL/mL). The findings indicate that hazelnut seed extracts are a suitable and sustainable source for producing AgNPs with antimicrobial and anti-quorum sensing activity.

Keywords

• Silver nanoparticle
• Hazelnut
• Antimicrobial activity
• Minimum inhibitory concentration
• Anti-quorum sensing
• Cytotoxicity

Supporting Institution

Kırşehir Ahi Evran University

Project Number

CMY.A4.23.001

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval was not required for this study because of there was no study on animals or humans.

Thanks

This study was carried out within the scope of the Scientific Research Project numbered CMY.A4.23.001 of Kırşehir Ahi Evran University. I thank the Çiçekdağı Vocational School of Kırşehir Ahi Evran University for providing the facilities of the Microbiology Laboratory in which the study was conducted, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Arzu Arı for the botanical identification of the plant material.

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