Glucoxylan-mediated green synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles and their phyto-toxicity study

•Green synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles.•Use of glucoxylans from seeds of Mimosa pudica.•The synthesis excludes use of additional reducing and capping agents.•The AuNPs are not cytotoxic and suitable for drug delivery.•The particles exhibit exceptional high stability.

A green synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles having exceptional high stability is reported. The synthesis involves the use of glucoxylans isolated from seeds of Mimosa pudica and excludes the use of conventional reducing and capping agents. The average particle sizes were 40 and 6 nm for gold and silver, respectively. The size of gold particles obtained in this work is suitable for drug delivery as they are non-cytotoxic. In phyto-toxicity tests the gold and silver nanoparticles did not show any significant effect on germination of radish seeds, whereas in radish seedling root growth assay the two particles behaved differently. The silver nanoparticles exhibited a concentration-dependent stimulatory effect on root length, whereas the gold nanoparticles had no significant effect in this test. The likely mechanism of these effects is discussed.