A review on synthesis, optimization, characterization and antibacterial application of gold nanoparticles synthesized from plants

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are one of the prominent metal nanoparticles (NPs) with a broad range of applications in various fields of science and technology. The demand for the use of AuNPs has been increasing on a regular basis. To meet such a demand, intensive research is required on optimizing synthesis approaches. Among various methods reported for the synthesis of AuNPs, biological methods using plant extract have been found to be simple, effective, cheap and environmental friendly because the gold salt is only reduced with biomolecules existing in plant extract. Various methods of AuNPs synthesis using different plant extracts have long been developed. Several techniques have been adopted in the characterization of the synthesized AuNPs. The antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer and catalytic activities of AuNPs from plant extract have shown promising activities useful for several biomedical applications. This review focuses on the synthesis, optimization conditions, characterization and applications of biosynthesized AuNPs using plant extracts.