Dual Functional Properties of Tiliacora acuminata: from Jaundice-related Enzyme Targeting to Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles and their Applications in Textile Dye Remediation.

The present study explores the therapeutic potential of Tiliacora acuminata, a traditional medicinal plant widely used in the treatment of jaundice. The root extract has antimicrobial efficacy, and the phytochemical analysis of the root extract showed the occurrence of proteins, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, steroids, tannins, and terpenoids. A cytotoxicity assay on HepG2 cells showed no significant cytotoxic effects, even at concentrations up to 30 µg/mL. GC-MS analysis identified bioactive compounds with high binding affinity for UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1), a key enzyme involved in bilirubin glucuronidation. 3,5,24-trimethyltetracontane demonstrated the strongest binding affinity, suggesting its potential to enhance bilirubin glucuronidation. Tiliacora acuminata root extract was utilized to synthesise silver nanoparticles, to investigate their efficacy in the photocatalytic degradation of reactive red 120, reactive black 5, reactive brown 2, and mixed dyes. UV-DRS, FT-IR, XRD, SEM, and TEM analyses were employed to characterise the synthesised nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles had a strong cytotoxic impact on HepG2 cells, with an IC50 value of 39.34 µg/mL using the MTT assay. The silver nanoparticle has antibacterial efficacy against Klebsiella pneumoniae (MTCC 109), Escherichia coli (MTCC 443), and Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 7443), as well as two fungal strains, Candida albicans (MTCC 183), and Aspergillus brasiliensis (MTCC 1344). Degradation efficiencies of reactive red 120 were 52.63% ± 1.15 in 150 min, reactive black 5 was 64.47% ± 1.17 in 150 min, reactive brown 2 was 48.44% ± 0.66 in 120 min, and mixed dyes were 49.48% ± 1.15 in 90 min. Silver nanoparticles synthesized from Tiliacora acuminata exhibit antimicrobial and textile degradation properties, playing a crucial role in environmental remediation and biomedical applications.