Green nanotechnology from cumin phytochemicals : generation of biocompatible gold nanoparticles

Abstract

The powerful antioxidant characteristics of various phytochernicals within cumin prompted us to test their efficacy in reducing sodium tetrachloroaurate to corresponding gold nanoparticles. We, herein, report an unprecedented synthetic route that involves the production of well-defined spherical gold nanoparticles by simple mixing of cumin to an aqueous solution of sodium tetrachloro aurate. Production of gold nanoparticles in this cumin-mediated Green Nanotechnological process is achieved under biologically benign conditions. The gold nanoparticles generated through cumin-mediated process did not aggregate suggesting that the cocktail of phytochemicals including proteins serve as excellent coatings on nanoparticles and thus, provide robust shielding from aggregations. In addition, the phytochemical coatings on nanoparticles have rendered nontoxic features to these 'Green Gold Nanoparticles' as demonstrated through detailed MTT assays performed on 'normal fibroblast cells. Results of our studies presenting a new 'Nano-Naturo' connection for the production and utility of gold nanoparticles for potential applications in nanomedicine and nanotechnology are discussed in this paper.