Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42450296›Full record

ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2026

Who Reduces Silver? A Critical Review of the Biomolecular Drivers of Fungal-Mediated Silver Nanoparticle Biosynthesis.

Mislav Vorkapić, Nikolina Filipović, Anamarija Stanković, Ana Amić

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Mislav VorkapićDepartment of Chemistry, University of Osijek, Ulica Cara Hadrijana 8/A, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia.ORCID 0009-0009-9471-1308
Nikolina FilipovićDepartment of Chemistry, University of Osijek, Ulica Cara Hadrijana 8/A, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia.ORCID 0000-0003-3127-3442
Anamarija StankovićDepartment of Chemistry, University of Osijek, Ulica Cara Hadrijana 8/A, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia.ORCID 0000-0001-5090-0435
Ana AmićDepartment of Chemistry, University of Osijek, Ulica Cara Hadrijana 8/A, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized via fungal-mediated biosynthesis have gained attention as eco-friendly alternatives to chemically produced nanomaterials, with broad biomedical potential. Fungi represent particularly attractive systems because their secretomes contain diverse biomolecules, including enzymes, proteins, polysaccharides, and secondary metabolites, capable of reducing silver ions and stabilizing the resulting nanoparticles. Despite extensive investigation, the molecular mechanisms underlying fungal-mediated AgNP formation remain poorly defined. This review critically examines the key biomolecular drivers involved in this process, with emphasis on nitrate reductases, oxidoreductases, extracellular proteins, polysaccharides, and secondary metabolites as potential reducing and capping agents. Proposed mechanisms, including nitrate reductase-dependent, superoxide-mediated, and metabolite-driven pathways, are evaluated. The influence of process parameters such as silver nitrate concentration, incubation time, culture medium composition, pH, temperature, and fungal species on nanoparticle yield, size, and stability is also assessed. Analysis of the current literature highlights significant knowledge gaps, including limited application of proteomic and metabolomic approaches, a lack of causal mechanistic studies, and insufficient standardization of experimental protocols. Overall, evidence indicates that fungal AgNP biosynthesis is governed by complex interactions among multiple biomolecular classes rather than a single universal mechanism, underscoring priorities for improving reproducibility, scalability, and mechanistic understanding.

Indexed as

FungiMetal NanoparticlesSilverSilverbiomolecular mechanismsextracellular synthesisfungal-mediated biosynthesisfungal secretomegreen nanotechnologynanoparticle cappingnitrate reductasesilver nanoparticles

Identifiers

PMID42450296
PMCPMC13361611

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.