Anti-melanoma, tyrosinase inhibitory and anti-microbial activities of gold nanoparticles synthesized from aqueous leaf extracts of Teraxacum officinale.

There has been a tenacious search for pharmaceuticals of natural origin, as they are cost-effective and are noted for having little or no side effects. The rate at which diseases are developing resistance to synthetic drugs is quite alarming, and the side effects of these drugs remain an excruciating agony to the pharmaceutical industry. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have wide applications in current technology. However, their use in medicine has not been adequately explored. Chemical methods for the synthesis are associated with environmental benignity and tissue toxicity on in vivo administration. For the first time, we have synthesized AuNPs from leaf extracts of Teraxacum officinale that were found to have significant anti-melanoma, tyrosinase inhibitory and anti-microbial effects, and hence stand as promising candidates for use in cosmetics medical and food industries.