In this work, the hexane, chloroform, and methanol extracts from Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi were utilized to green-synthesize silver nanoparticles (Kf₁-, Kf₂-, and Kf₃-AgNPs). The Kf₁-, Kf₂-, and Kf₃-AgNPs were characterized by spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. The antibacterial activity of AgNPs was studied against bacteria strains, utilizing the microdilution assay. The DPPH and H₂O₂ assays were considered to assess the antioxidant activity of AgNPs. The results revealed that Kf₁-, Kf₂-, and Kf₃-AgNPs exhibit an average diameter of 39.9, 111, and 42 nm, respectively. The calculated ζ-potential of Kf₁-, Kf₂-, and Kf₃-AgNPs were −20.5, −10.6, and −7.9 mV, respectively. The UV-vis analysis of the three samples demonstrated characteristic absorption bands within the range of 350–450 nm, which confirmed the formation of AgNPs. The FTIR analysis of AgNPs exhibited a series of bands from 3500 to 750 cm⁻¹, related to the presence of extracts on their surfaces. SEM observations unveiled that Kf₁- and Kf₂-AgNPs adopted structural arrangements related to nano-popcorns and nanoflowers, whereas Kf₃-AgNPs were spherical in shape. It was determined that treatment with Kf₁-, Kf₂-, and Kf₃-AgNPs was demonstrated to inhibit the growth of E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa in a dose-dependent manner (50–300 μg/mL). Within the same range, treatment with Kf₁-, Kf₂-, and Kf₃-AgNPs decreased the generation of DPPH (IC₅₀ 57.02–2.09 μg/mL) and H₂O₂ (IC₅₀ 3.15–3.45 μg/mL) radicals. This study highlights the importance of using inorganic nanomaterials to improve the biological performance of plant extracts as an efficient nanotechnological approach.

Mediante sus efluentes, los hospitales contribuyen a la ocurrencia de microcontaminantes emergentes como los fármacos, en el agua. Este trabajo cuantificó la presencia de nueve fármacos en las aguas residuales de tres hospitales privados de México con 66, 92 y 120 camas, respectivamente. Las muestras se caracterizaron fisicoquímicamente y, empleando cromatografía líquida de alta resolución acoplada a espectrometría de masas (UPLC-MS/MS), se reportaron las siguientes concentraciones máximas promedio: paracetamol (38740.11±33832.15 ng/L), naproxeno (6321.42±11074.86 ng/L), ketorolaco (1429.80±237.94 ng/L), ibuprofeno (249.46±143.68 ng/L), ranitidina (149.60±303.70 ng/L), hidrocortisona (96.72±57.21 ng/L), dexametasona (33.02±41.23 ng/L), esomeprazol (22.85±24.12 ng/L) y omeprazol (22.50±23.97 ng/L). En aguas tratadas se detectó una reducción del 67 al 100% en los niveles de hidrocortisona, naproxeno, paracetamol y ranitidina. Los resultados obtenidos informan la presencia de fármacos que no habían sido reportados previamente en efluentes hospitalarios mexicanos y demuestran el impacto de las plantas de tratamiento, contribuyendo a la evidencia existente para impulsar acciones de regulación, innovación tecnológica y monitoreo.