Ultra-Small Silver Nanoparticles: A Sustainable Green Synthesis Approach for Antibacterial Activity

• Published in: Antibiotics (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 3; p. 574
• Main Authors: Castañeda-Aude, Javier Emanuel, Morones-Ramírez, José Rubén, De Haro-Del Río, David Alejandro, León-Buitimea, Angel, Barriga-Castro, Enrique Díaz, Escárcega-González, Carlos Enrique
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-03-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Antibacterial activity; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Aqueous solutions; Bacteria; Citrus; Citrus fruits; clinical multidrug-resistant bacteria; Drug resistance in microorganisms; Fruits; Gram-positive bacteria; green synthesis; Metals; Methicillin; Minimum inhibitory concentration; Multidrug resistance; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; organic waste; Polyphenols; Residues; Silver; silver nanoparticles; Spectrum analysis; Stabilizers (agents); Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus infections; Synthesis; ultra-small nanoparticles; Ultraviolet spectroscopy; Mexico; organic waste; clinical multidrug-resistant bacteria; ultra-small nanoparticles; silver nanoparticles; green synthesis
• ISSN: 2079-6382; 2079-6382
• DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12030574

The present study centers on the synthesis of ultra-small silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with antibacterial properties using citrus peel residues (orange, lemon, and grapefruit) as reducing and stabilizing agents, and on assessing their antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant clinical
. The synthesized AgNPs were analyzed by various techniques, including UV-Vis spectroscopy, SAED, TEM, XRD, FTIR, and Raman. The results demonstrate the formation of ultra-small, monodisperse, quasi-spherical AgNPs with an average particle size of 2.42 nm for AgNPs produced with mixed extracts. XRD analysis indicated that the AgNPs have a crystal size of 9.71 to 16.23 nm. The AgNPs exhibited potent inhibitory activity against resistant
, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 15.625 to 62.50 ppm. The findings suggest that the ultra-small nanometer size of the AgNPs could be attributed to the synthesis method that employs ambient conditions and the presence of polyphenolic compounds from citrus peel. Consequently, AgNPs obtained through sustainable green synthesis hold significant potential in combating clinical multi-resistant bacterial strains that are challenging to treat and eradicate. This approach also contributes to the revaluation of citrus residues in the region, which is an ongoing environmental issue today.