Soybeans as a Phytochemical Reservoir for the Production and Stabilization of Biocompatible Gold Nanoparticles

The present study demonstrates an unprecedented green process for the production of gold nanoparticles by simple treatment of gold salts with soybean extracts. Reduction capabilities of antioxidant phytochemicals present in soybean and their ability to reduce gold salts chemically to nanoparticles with subsequent coating of proteins and a host of other phytochemicals present in soybean on the freshly generated gold nanoparticles are discussed. The new genre of green nanoparticles exhibit remarkable in vitro stability in various buffers including saline, histidine, HSA, and cysteine solutions. MTT assays reveal that the green gold nanoparticles are nontoxic and thus provide excellent opportunities for their applications in nanomedicine for molecular imaging and therapy. The overall strategy described herein for the generation of gold nanoparticles meets all 12 principles of green chemistry, as no “man‐made” chemicals, other than the gold salts, are used in the green nanotechnological process. A green nanotechnological process for the production of gold nanoparticles using phytochemicals in soybeans is described. The interaction of sodium tetrachloroaurate with soybeans or soybean extract in water results in the production of nontoxic gold nanoparticles of spherical shape. No man‐made chemicals, other than the gold salts, are used, thus satisfying the fundamental principles of green chemistry.