Role of green silver nanoparticles synthesized from Symphytum officinale leaf extract in protection against UVB‑induced photoaging

The present study demonstrated the simple, cheap, eco-friendly synthesis of the silver nanoparticles (S-AgNPs) using Symphytum officinale leaf extract. The biosynthesized S-AgNPs were characterized by UV–Vis, FE-TEM, elemental mapping, EDX, zeta potential, XRD, SAED, and FT-IR. The characterization results revealed the irregular shape and relatively stable nature of synthesized S-AgNPs. The average particle size was determined to be 87.46 nm. The zeta potential shows the negative surface charge (− 25.5 mV) of S-AgNPs. After characterization, we investigated the anti-aging effect of S-AgNPs in HaCaT keratinocyte cells. HaCaT keratinocyte cells were treated with S-AgNPs at concentrations 1, 10, 100 μg mL− 1 after UVB or non-UVB irradiation. The S-AgNPs significantly inhibited the production of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and IL-6 but increased the expression of procollagen type 1. The data suggest that S-AgNPs have photoprotective properties and may have potential to be used as an agent against photoaging.