Biosynthesis and potential uses of silver nanoparticles with Hericium erinaceus extracts Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • Hericium erinaceus, an edible and medicinal mushroom, supports beneficial activities connected to brain and nerve health by accelerating the creation of new neurons and prevents the progression of neurodegenerative illnesses due to its bioactive components like erinacine A. H. erinaceus extract was used as a green synthesis reducing agent to generate silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). H. erinaceus was cultivated in an inoculated solid wheat medium for 52 days at 25 °C to produce biomass for extraction. The extraction was performed by ultrasonication (HeeUs) or microwave heating (HeeMw) using ethanol 96% as a dispersant. Once the H. erinaceus extracts (Hee¿s) were obtained, each was mixed with an AgNO3 solution to complete the NPs biosynthesis. The synthesized Hee derived nanoparticles (Hee-AgNPs) were characterized using DLS, FTIR, and HR-SEM, and were employed to analyze their antimicrobial, biocompatibility, and anti-protein aggregation properties. We determined the size, composition and morphology of the Hee-AgNPs. AgNPs synthesized by HeeUs had slightly better NPs basic properties. In a biocompatibility assay with erythrocytes, the hemolysis percentage results revealed a biocompatible nature of Hee-AgNPs. Additionally, Hee-AgNPs presented antimicrobial capacity against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Serratia marcescens, Samonella thyphi, and Staphylococcus aureus. Accordingly, Hee-AgNPs showed a tendency to disintegrate synthetic protein aggregates, which are related to amyloid fibers. The cultivation and extraction methods of H. erinaceus successfully produced bioactive compounds that facilitated the synthesis of silver nanoparticles, HeeUs-AgNPs and HeeMw-AgNPs. While both exhibited significant antibacterial activity and biocompatibility, HeeUs-AgNPs demonstrated superior morphological characteristics and enhanced biocomponent content, confirming their potential for biomedical applications, including the prevention and disassembly of synthetic amyloid fibers. © The Author(s) 2025.

publication date

  • July 1, 2025