Antimicrobial activity of green synthesized Se nanoparticles using ginger and onion extract: a laboratory and in silico analysis

Abstract

We present the green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles using onion and ginger extracts and their characterization. Subsequently, the antimicrobial effect of the nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella paratyphi was tested. Furthermore, this study implemented an in silico analysis using the STITCH database to generate protein-selenium interaction networks and predict altered KEGG pathways in the studied bacteria. The results showed the maximum UV-visible absorbance at approximately 550 nm confirming the synthesis of nanoparticles. Furthermore, the phenolic compounds identified to enhance the synthesis and stabilize selenium nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles are spherical at about 100 nm. Selenium nanoparticles showed only an inhibitory effect on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. According to in silico analysis, nanoparticles cause an inhibition of the growth of Staphylococcus aureus by an alteration in the metabolism of cysteine, methionine and arachidonic acid.