GREEN SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES USING MEDICINAL PLANT ACALYPHA INDICA LEAF EXTRACTS AND ITS APPLICATION AS AN ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT AGAINST FOODBORNE PATHOGENS

Abstract

Objective: In the present study, silver (Ag) nanoparticles was synthesized by traditionally used medicinal plant Acalypha indica, which was characterized using various advanced tools, and its antioxidant as well as antimicrobial properties, was studied against food pathogens.Methods: The synthesis of silver (Ag) nanoparticles from the leaf extracts were monitored with the characterization of silver nanoparticles with the help of UV-visible spectrophotometer. The optimized time for the synthesis of nanoparticles was 3 h, followed by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), surface emission microscopy analysis (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis (EDX). The antioxidant activity was evaluated by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and reducing power assay, while antifungal activity was performed against food pathogens by measuring the zone of inhibition values (ZOI).Results: The Ag nanoparticle produced, have an average particle size of 34 nm with a spherical shape, analyzed from the XRD studies, and size was confirmed with the SEM and TEM analysis. The FTIR analysis gave information about the possible compounds adsorbed on the surface of the Ag nanoparticles. The Ag nanoparticles had good reducing power than the standard and the IC50 value for Ag nanoparticles was 5 mg/ml, while the standard taken had an IC50 value of nearly 6-7 mg/ml. The fungal strain A. fumigates showed ZOI of 133% at 75 µl of concentration proving that Ag nanoparticles can act effectively against this strain when compared to other strains even at low concentrations.Conclusion: The produced Ag nanoparticles can be used for its therapeutic purposes and for large-scale synthesis in food industries for food preservation or packaging.