Phytoconstituents presenting in herbal plant broths are the biocompatible, regenerative, and cost-effective sources that can be utilized for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Different plant extracts can form nanoparticles with specific sizes, shapes, and properties. In the study, we prepared silver nanoparticles (P.uri.AgNPs, P.zey.AgNPs, and S.dul.AgNPs) based on three kinds of leaf extracts (Phyllanthus urinaria, Pouzolzia zeylanica, and Scoparia dulcis, respectively) and demonstrated the antifungal capacity. The silver nanoparticles were simply formed by adding silver nitrate to leaf extracts without using any reducing agents or stabilizers. Formation and physicochemical properties of these silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. P.uri.AgNPs were 28.3 nm and spherical. P.zey.AgNPs were 26.7 nm with hexagon or triangle morphologies. Spherical S.dul.AgNPs were formed and they were relatively smaller than others. P.uri.AgNPs, P.zey.AgNPs and S.dul.AgNPs exhibited the antifungal ability effective against Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium oxysporum, demonstrating their potentials as fungicides in the biomedical and agricultural applications.

In pain relief, lidocaine has gained more attention as a local anesthetic. However, there are several side effects that limit the use of local anesthetics. Therefore, it is hypothesized that a hydrogel system with facile design can be used for prolonged release of lidocaine. In this study, we developed a formulation comprises of sodium alginate (SA) and graphene oxide (GO) to prolong the release of lidocaine. The gelation was induced by physically crosslinking the alginate with Ca²⁺ ions. The formation of blank SA and GO-reinforced SA hydrogels was investigated with different concentration of Ca²⁺ ions. The controlled release of lidocaine hydrochloride (LH) on both hydrogel systems was studied in PBS solution. The GO-reinforced SA hydrogels exhibited more sustained release than SA hydrogels without GO. In vitro biocompatibility test in L929 fibroblast cells confirmed the non-toxic property of hydrogels. Furthermore, to prove the in-situ gelation and biodegradability of hydrogels the hydrogels were injected on mice model and confirmed the stable gel formation. The hydrogels implanted onto the subcutaneous tissue of hydrogels retained over one week. These results indicate that LH-loaded GO-reinforced SA hydrogel can be a potential biomaterial for controlled release of local anesthetics.