Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Artocarpus hirsutus Seed Extract and its Antibacterial Activity

Aims: To evaluate the antibacterial activity of Artocarpus hirsutus mediated seed extract for nanoparticle synthesis. Background: Gastrointestinal bacteria are known for causing deadly infections in humans. They also possess multi-drug resistance and interfere with clinical treatments. Applied nanotechnology has been known to combat such infectious agents with little interference from their special attributes. Here we synthesize silver nanoparticles from Artocarpus hirsutus seed extract against two gastro-intestinal bacterial species: Enterobacter aerogenes and Listeria monocytogenes. Objective: To collect, dry, and process seeds of Artocarpus hirsutus for nanoparticle synthesis. To evaluate the morphological interaction of silver nanoparticles with bacteria. Methods: Artocarpus hirsutus seeds were collected and processed and further silver nanoparticles were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using XRD, UV, FTIR, and SEM. These nanoparticles were employed to study the antibacterial activity of nanoparticles against Enterobacter aerogenes and Listeria monocytogenes using well diffusion method. Further, morphological interaction of silver nanoparticles on bacteria was studied using SEM. Result: Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using Artocarpus hirsutus seed extract and characterization studies confirmed that silver nanoparticles were spherical in shape with 25-40 nm size. Antibacterial study exhibited better activity against Enterobacter aerogenes with a maximum zone of inhibition than on Listeria monocytogenes. SEM micrographs indicated that Enterobacter aerogenes bacteria were more susceptible to silver nanoparticles due to the absence of cell wall. Also, the size and charge of silver nanoparticles enable easy penetration of the bacterial cell wall. Conclusion: In this study, silver nanoparticles were synthesized using the seed extract of Artocarpus hirsutus for the first time exploiting the fact that Moraceae species have high phytonutrient content which aided in nanoparticle synthesis. This nanoparticle can be employed for large scale synthesis which when coupled with the pharmaceutical industry can be used to overcome the problems associated with conventional antibiotics to treat gastrointestinal bacteria.