The prophylactic effect of Ranunculus laetus (Wall)-mediated silver nanoparticles against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria

Abstract

BackgroundThe possession of immense activities of the silver nanoparticles, due to which they have played an anomalous role in the various fields of bioscience, is of big concern of study in the recent era. So, the main aim of our study was to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous leaf extract of Ranunculus laetus using 0.1 M silver nitrate solution, and the synthesized silver nanoparticles were tested for their antibacterial activity.ResultsThe dark brown color of reaction mixture preliminary confirmed the synthesis of AgNPs. Further, characterization of synthesized silver nanoparticles showed UV-vis absorption peak at 442 nm, infrared spectroscopy revealed nitro compounds and aromatic amines as reducing and capping agents while X-ray diffraction revealed face-centered cubic crystallites of AgNPs with an average size of 24.125 nm. Scanning electron microscopy images confirmed spherical shape of silver nanoparticles with diameter 7.21–17.62 nm. The synthesized silver nanoparticles revealed significant antibacterial activity P < 0.05, against Escherichia coli (MTCC No. 739), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC No. 1688), Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC No. 96), and Bacillus subtilis (MTCC No. 441). The order of antibacterial potential was P. aeruginosa > S. aureus > E. coli > B. subtilis.ConclusionThe ionic silver was reduced to silver nanoparticles by the action of reducing agents present in the aqueous leaf extract of Ranunculus laetus, and these nanoparticles bare credible antibacterial activity against diverse bacterial strains.