Pharmacognostic Authentication and Phytochemical Profiling Coupled with Flowability Studies of Zingiber officinale for Quality Control

Introduction: Medicinal plant extracts and other natural products have continued to find useful applications in nanomedicines due to their interesting biological properties. Clerodendrum thomsoniae (CT) is a plant used in traditional medicine to treat stress- and inflammation-related diseases, including jaundice, diabetes, and cancer. Objectives: This study, therefore, evaluated CT extract-based silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. Materials and Methods: The nanoparticles were prepared using green synthesis methods. They were characterized using UVVis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Antioxidant study was based on NO, H2O2, superoxide, and hydroxyl radical scavenging spectrophotometric methods. The in vitro anti-inflammatory test was based on a protein (egg albumin) denaturation assay. Results: Results showed CT-Ag NPs ranged from spherical to cubic shapes. The UV absorption peak at 427 nm suggests CT-Ag NP formation. The presence of elemental Ag (96.04 %) by EDX analysis suggests the conversion of metallic silver into elemental silver. The crystallinity of the nanoparticles was shown on the X-ray diffractogram as a sharp peak at 38.12° [reflection index (111)] with an average particle size of 47 nm. CT-Ag NPs showed dose-dependent hydroxyl and nitric oxide radical scavenging activities with 67.63 ± 0.78 % and 58.48 ± 1.20 %, respectively, at 200 μg/mL. It showed a notable anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting protein denaturation with an IC50 of 53.58 ± 17.78 μg/mL. Conclusions: It can be deduced from this study that CT-Ag NPs show promise as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.