Silver nanoparticles synthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Ziziphus oenoplia (L.) Mill: Characterization and assessment of antibacterial activity

•Crystalline silver particles of 10 nm synthesized using leaf extract and Ag NO3.•Highly stable spherical silver nanoparticles with fcc lattice planes•Nanoparticles with higher anti bacterial activity than leaf extract and Ag NO3•TEM image revealed that nanoparticles damage cell membrane permeability.

Biological approach to synthesis of metal nanoparticles using aqueous leaf extract is a highly relevant and recent theme in nanotechnological research. Phytosynthesized AgNPs have better inhibitory and antimicrobial effects compared to aqueous leaf extract and silver nitrate. In the present investigation crystalline silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with size of 10 nm have been successfully synthesized using aqueous leaf extract (AQLE) of Ziziphus oenoplia (L.) Mill., which act as both reducing as well as capping agent. The particles were characterized using UV Visible spectroscopy, HRTEM-EDAX, XRD, FT-IR and DLS. An evaluation of the anti bacterial activity was carried out using Agar well diffusion method and MIC determination against four bacterial strains, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi; the AgNPs exhibited quite high antibacterial activity. Furthermore, bactericidal studies with TEM at different time intervals after AgNPs treatment showed the presence of AgNPs near cell membrane of bacteria at about 30 min exposure and the bacterial-lysis was found completed at 24 h. This gave an insight on the mechanism of bacterial-lysis by direct damage to the cell membrane.

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