Rapid phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using Chlorophytum borivilianum root extract and its antimicrobial activity

Abstract

Biological synthesis of nanoparticles is a relatively new emerging field, which offers economic and ecofriendly benefits over chemical and physical methods. Herein, we synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using root extract of Chlorophytum borivilianum, a plant widely found in southeast regions of Indian subcontinent. The nanoparticles were engineered via reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution with aqueous root extract of C. borivilianum at 50 °C. The characteristic surface Plasmon band was confirmed ~430 nm using UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The FTIR study revealed that the nanoparticles were stabilized by non-aromatic compounds present in aqueous extract. The nanoparticles were physicochemically characterized in terms of size using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The morphological characteristics were determined from TEM (transmission Electron microscopy) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy). XRD (X-ray diffraction) pattern suggested the crystalline nature of the nano-particles. These biologically synthesized AgNPs were found to highly toxic against some clinically pathogenic bacteria such as coagulase positive Staphylococcus sp., Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas species, and Proteus mirabilis with reference to commercially available antibiotics. Thus, we believe that this rapid green synthesis of CB-AgNPs is a valuable addition to the applications of Chlorophytum borivilianum.