Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles: A Review of Polymer and Antimicrobial Drug Combinations for Enhanced Antimicrobial Applications

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have emerged as a pivotal class of nanomaterials due to their potent medicinal properties, offering promising solutions for combating microbial resistance, which is a growing global health concern. Traditional methods of synthesizing AgNPs often involve toxic chemicals and energy-intensive processes, raising environmental and safety concerns. Green synthesis approaches have gained considerable attention utilizing plant and microbial extracts, natural polymers, and other eco-friendly reducing agents. These methods mitigate the environmental impact and enable the production of AgNPs with enhanced biocompatibility and tailored physicochemical properties. The synergistic effects of combining AgNPs with polymers result in improved stability, biocompatibility, and targeted delivery capabilities, while the incorporation of antimicrobial drugs generates composite materials with multifaceted modes of action against a wide range of microbial pathogens. This review delves into the green synthesis of AgNPs, focusing on the integration of natural and synthetic polymers, as well as antimicrobial drugs, to boost their antimicrobial efficacy. In addition, it is further explored that how these green-synthesized nanocomposites can be applied in areas such as wound healing and drug delivery, highlighting their potential in various biomedical fields. Moreover, the review critically examines the challenges and prospects of green synthesis, including scalability, cytotoxicity, biocompatibility, and stability hurdles.