Dixit J.Kumar P.Singh R.Verma P.Tiwari K.N.Singh R.K.Mishra S.K.Singh J.2025-01-132025-01-13202421906815https://dl.bhu.ac.in/ir/handle/123456789/930Uraria picta is used as a folk medicine to cure various ailments. Regardless of ethnobotanical application, a therapeutic study of the plant parts has yet to be reported. Aqueous leaf extract was enriched with secondary metabolites like phenols, alkaloids, and terpenoids. Total phenol (60.97 mgG?1 GAE), total flavonoid (52.36 mgG?1 RE), and antioxidant activity (IC50 2666.95 �gmL?1) of the extract were measured. Bio-based silver nanoparticles (LEUP-AgNPs) were fabricated using a secondary metabolite-enriched leaf extract of U. picta (LEUP), and characterization of LEUP-AgNPs was done. The LEUP-AgNPs were crystalline, circular (13.04 � 5.97�nm), monodisperse (pdi 0.205), and stable (-17.8�mV). The LEUP-AgNPs surface was composed of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and silver. A comparative study was performed to evaluate the potential of LEUP and LEUP-AgNPs against promastigotes and intra-RAW264.7 macrophage amastigotes of Leishmania donovani. A high dose of LEUP and LEUP-AgNPs significantly inhibited the growth of promastigotes up to 53% and 68%, with an IC50 value of 47.90 �gmL?1 and 6.79 �gmL?1, respectively. LEUP and LEUP-AgNPs higher doses also inhibited intracellular amastigotes up to 53% and 80% with an IC50 value of 6.72 �gmL?1 and 1.16 �gmL?1, respectively. The microscopic examination revealed that LEUP-AgNPs lead to size reduction and aggregations of promastigotes. The LEUP-AgNPs efficiently declined the number of amastigotes per RAW 264.7 macrophages compared to LEUP. LEUP-AgNPs had no cytotoxic effects on RAW 264.7 macrophages based on the CC50 value. Findings showed LEUP-AgNPs were more efficient than LEUP in controlling L. donovani, which induces visceral leishmaniasis. � The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.enAnti-leishmanialAqueous leaf extractLeishmania donovaniNanoparticlesPromastigotesUraria pictaArticle10.1007/s13399-024-05736-6