Exploring biomaterials/molecules as a reducing/capping agent for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles has set a new trend in green nanotechnology with improved environmental safety. Herein, a facile, one-pot, and green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was achieved using Panax ginseng root extract that was obtained from the root powder as a cost-effective and environmentfriendly biomaterial. Optical, functional, and morphological characteristics of the synthesized AgNPs were determined using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometers, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The synthesized AgNPs were used for the detection of Hg 2+ by obtaining the absorption spectrum of the compound as a function of Hg 2+ concentration, which resulted in a decrease in absorption peak intensity with a slight blue shift. The AgNP solution decolored upon dissolution due to the formation of an Ag-Hg amalgam. The sensing characteristics were found to be linear when tested from 10 µM to 1 mM Hg 2+ concentration and the detection limit was estimated as 5 µM. To check the selectivity of the sensor towards Hg 2+ , the sensor response was measured for different heavy metals such as K + , Na + , Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ , Ca 2+ , Zn 2+ , Mg 2+ , and Mn 2+ , at 10 mM concentrations.

Green Coffee Extract (GCE), an extract of Coffea arabica bean is a popular health supplement employed for anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects. Here a hydroalcoholic extract of Green Coffee (GCE) was evaluated for its potential as a cardioprotective agent against Doxorubicin (Dox) induced cardiac insult in a H9C2 rat cardiomyocyte in vitro model system. The GCE was tested in an MTT viability assay using 1 μM Dox with and without GCE pretreatment at 50, 100 and 250 μg mLG 1 concentrations. GCE was also tested for its free radical scavenging ability in a DPPH assay at 10 concentrations (500 μg mLG 1 maximum concentration). To understand the mechanism of action of cardioprotection, mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) was compared between Dox treated cells with and without GCE pretreatment, using the JC-1 dye. Finally, the activation of caspase-3/7 was quantitated. Findings from the above experiments demonstrated that GCE rescued H9C2 cardiomyocytes from Dox induced loss of cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. While Dox treatment caused a clear decrease in the JC-1 ratio from 2 to 1.6 due to loss of Δψm, pretreatment with GCE at 25, 50 and 100 μg mLG 1 restored the JC-1 ratio to 1.6, 1.9 and 2.0, respectively. Dox treatment potently induced caspase 3/7 activity by 5 fold and pre-treatment with GCE at 100 and 500 μg mLG 1 reduced this activation to 3.5 and 1.5 fold, respectively. This data clearly demonstrates that GCE is strongly cardioprotective against Dox induced cardiac insult and the mechanism of action is by blocking activation of intrinsic apoptotic pathway.