Antibacterial and Antioxidant Properties of Silver Nanoparticles Mediated via Extracted Essential Oil of Cinnamomum verum : Experimental and Computational Validation

Abstract

This study investigates the green synthesis, characterization, and bioactivity of silver nanoparticles (Ag‐NPs) mediated via essential oil extracted from  Cinnamomum verum  leaves. Essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed via GC‐MS. Furthermore, Ag‐NPs were synthesized using 0.01 M AgNO 3 with C. verum essential oil at pH 7.0 and room temperature. Characterization was performed using UV–vis, FT‐IR, XRD, DLS, EDX, and TEM. GC‐MS identified eugenol, β‐caryophyllene, limonene, and p‐cymene. UV–vis (371.51 nm) confirmed Ag‐NP formation. FT‐IR showed stabilizing O─H, C─H, and C─O groups, while XRD revealed 34.6 nm face‐centered cubic crystals. TEM revealed spherical morphology with an average size of 34.45 nm, while EDX confirmed elemental silver (48.35%) along with C and O. Ag‐NPs exhibited concentration‐dependent antibacterial activity, with maximum inhibition zones of 12.3 ± 0.10 mm ( S. aureus ), 12.5 ± 0.10 mm ( P. multocida ), 13.5 ± 0.10 mm ( B. subtilis ), and 14.15 ± 0.10 mm ( E. coli ) at 300 µg/mL. Antioxidant assay showed Ag‐NPs had superior radical scavenging activity (IC 50  = 42.23 µg/mL) compared to essential oil (IC 50  = 59.37 µg/mL) and plant extract (IC 50  = 66.15 µg/mL Supported by AutoDock Vina for molecular docking, which highlighted β‐caryophyllene and p‐cymene as promising leads, these computationally validated Ag‐NPs offer a sustainable nanotherapeutic alternative against antimicrobial resistance and oxidative diseases.