Abstract :
Background: Tobacco leaf (Nicotiana tabacum L.), historically valued for various applications and has been observed for its medicinal properties.Objectives: This study aims to investigate the biochemical composition, antioxidant activity, toxicological safety, antimicrobial efficacy, and green synthesis characterization of the aqueous extract of tobacco leaf.Materials and Methods: Standard analytical methods like Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) were used in determining the various parameters and their effects on wistar rats.Results: The results of the analyses revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and phenolic compounds in the extract. It also exhibited strong antioxidant activities against 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and NO radicals with increased ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) as well as significant levels of total phenols and flavonoids. The sub-acute toxicity analyses indicated no adverse effects from the aqueous extract on the Wistar rats. Hematological and white blood cell analyses in animals orally administered with the extract showed a positive safety profile. Furthermore, the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles (silver, copper, and zinc) which were characterized using UV-Vis. spectroscopy and FT-IR showed enhanced antimicrobial activity against various pathogenic bacteria and fungi; thus revealed some chemical properties based on the amount of light absorbed as well as identified some organic compounds based on their functional groups.Conclusion: This study supports the traditional medicinal use of tobacco leaves and suggests their potentials for developing natural antimicrobial agents, nanomedicine and drug development.
Keyword :
Tobacco leaf, Biochemical composition, Antioxidant activity, Toxicological safety, Antimicrobial efficacy, Green synthesis