Evaluation of the antimicrobial effect of silver nanoparticles obtained by the green synthesis route against bacteria of medical importance

Abstract

Metal nanoparticles are useful in the most varied fields of application, in catalysis processes, in optical systems, biological systems, in the pharmaceutical and electronics industry, among others. This is explained by the differential characteristics arising from its large surface area and the characteristics inherent to the properties related to the metallic nature of each particle, such as antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral and anticancer effects, observed for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), for example. AgNPs can be obtained through green synthesis routes, an environmentally friendly alternative, cheap, fast and without the generation of toxic reagents, compared to the traditional physicochemical methodology. In this sense, the objectives of the present work were the synthesis of AgNPs using aqueous foliar extracts of Panicum maximum and the evaluation of their effect against bacteria with relevance to public health. The presence of AgNPs was confirmed by the color change of the reaction medium and by the spectroscopic profile obtained. Applying the disk diffusion technique in petri dishes containing Mueller Hinton culture medium, formation of inhibition halos was observed against E. coli (ATCC 1122), S.aureus (ATCC 29213), S. epidermidis (ATCC 12228) and P. aeruginosa (ATCC 25619). This is the first record of the use of aqueous foliar extracts of P. maximum, originating in the Midwest of Minas Gerais, used in the synthesis of AgNPs whose antimicrobial effects are marked by the uniqueness and whose results are quite promising.