Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Eucalyptus and Piper Longum and Its Subsequent Antioxidant Activity Evaluation

Gold continues to be one of the oldest dental restorative materials which has been used for dental repairs for more than 4000 years and remains an important metal in the dental sector. In a world where the importance of nanoparticles has been well established and its preparation has become much easier, it is important to analyse if these nanoparticles can be extracted from a plant based source as well. Along with its extraction, assessment of each property of the nanoparticle is essential. A few ingredients used in Ayurveda which can also be found being used in almost every household is pepper and eucalyptus and over the years, its importance has remained constant, if not showing an increase. The aim of this study was to extract gold nanoparticles using Eucalyptus and Piper longum and evaluate the antioxidant activity of the derived gold nanoparticles. Preparation of plant extract was done following which, extraction of gold nanoparticles was performed. Antioxidant properties of the gold nanoparticles were tested by a DPPH assay method and compared against the antioxidant gold standard, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The percentage of absorbance was calculated and data was analyzed. The results demonstrated the presence of elemental gold. Both, plant extract derived AuNPs exhibited significant free-radical scavenging activity indicating that they possess antioxidant effects.