Phytoassisted synthesis of magnesium oxide nanoparticles with Swertia chirayaita

The present study describes phytoassisted synthesis of magnesium oxide nanoparticles with an aqueous extract of Swertia chirayaita. The stable magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgONPs) formed by this method were spherical particles that were <20 nm in size. The method is cost-effective and eco-friendly. MgONPs from phytoassisted synthesis were characterized by UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The UV-vis absorbance spectrum of the synthesized MgONPs displayed a surface plasmon resonance at 510 nm. XRD analysis showed that the MgONPs were crystalline in nature with a face-centred cubic geometry. Further, the MgONPs tested against Gram-positive [Staphylococcus aureus - MTCC-9442, Staphylococcus epidermidis - MTCC-2639, Bacillus cereus - MTCC-9017] and Gram-negative bacteria [Escherichia coli - MTCC-9721, Proteus vulgaris - MTCC-7299, Klebsiella pneumonia - MTCC-9751] by agar-well diffusion method were found to be effective against both Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria.