Synthesis, Characterization, and Biological Properties of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized from IApis mellifera/I Honey

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 28; no. 18
• Main Authors: Shahid, Hamna, Shah, Aqeel Ahmed, Shah Bukhari, Syed Nizam Uddin, Naqvi, Anjum Zehra, Arooj, Iqra, Javeed, Mehvish, Aslam, Muhammad, Chandio, Ali Dad, Farooq, Muhammad, Gilani, Sadaf Jamal, Bin Jumah, May Nasser
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 01-09-2023
• Subjects: Aluminum compounds; Antibacterial agents; Antioxidants; Bees; Ferric oxide; Honeybee; Iron compounds; Methylene blue; Nanoparticles; Physiological aspects; Spectrum analysis; Saudi Arabia; Pakistan
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules28186504

Green approaches for nanoparticle synthesis have emerged as biocompatible, economical, and environment-friendly alternatives to counteract the menace of microbial drug resistance. Recently, the utilization of honey as a green source to synthesize Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]-NPs has been introduced, but its antibacterial activity against one of the opportunistic MDR pathogens, Klebsiella pneumoniae, has not been explored. Therefore, this study employed Apis mellifera honey as a reducing and capping agent for the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]-NPs). Subsequent to the characterization of nanoparticles, their antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties were appraised. In UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis, the absorption band ascribed to the SPR peak was observed at 350 nm. XRD analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]-NPs, and the crystal size was deduced to be 36.2 nm. Elemental analysis by EDX validated the presence of iron coupled with oxygen in the nanoparticle composition. In ICP-MS, the highest concentration was of iron (87.15 ppm), followed by sodium (1.49 ppm) and other trace elements (<1 ppm). VSM analysis revealed weak magnetic properties of Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]-NPs. Morphological properties of Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]-NPs revealed by SEM demonstrated that their average size range was 100–150 nm with a non-uniform spherical shape. The antibacterial activity of Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]-NPs was ascertained against 30 clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, with the largest inhibition zone recorded being 10 mm. The MIC value for Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]-NPs was 30 µg/mL. However, when mingled with three selected antibiotics, Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]-NPs did not affect any antibacterial activity. Momentous antioxidant (IC[sub.50] = 22 µg/mL) and anti-inflammatory (IC[sub.50] = 70 µg/mL) activities of Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]-NPs were discerned in comparison with the standard at various concentrations. Consequently, honey-mediated Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]-NP synthesis may serve as a substitute for orthodox antimicrobial drugs and may be explored for prospective biomedical applications.