Antibacterial and antifungal properties of silver nanoparticles synthesised using phytochemicals from <i>Zanthoxylum piperitum</i> leaves

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have recently emerged as a potential treatment for diseases caused by multidrug-resistant microorganisms. The high surface area-to-volume ratio of AgNPs could deliver high performance as an antimicrobial agent. The current study investigated the synthesis and antimicrobial properties of AgNPs fabricated using phytochemicals extracted from Zanthoxylum piperitum leaves (Japanese pepper). ZPLAg-NPs (4.25 mg/mL) were prepared using green chemistry procedures, and the successful synthesis was indicated by a maximum absorption band at 420 nm in a UV-Vis spectrum. The fabricated ZPLAg-NPs showed remarkable effectiveness against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. The antimicrobial efficacy was shown by minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.07 and 0.13 mg/mL for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, respectively. The nanoparticles also yielded minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of 0.53 and 0.13 mg/mL for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, respectively. Similarly, the ZPLAg-NPs showed efficacy against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger, producing MICs of 1.06 and 0.13 mg/mL, respectively. MBCs of 1.06 and 0.53 mg/mL were displayed for Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger, respectively. The findings from this study demonstrated that ZPLAgNPs could serve as a potential microbial agent for treating some bacterial and fungal diseases. .