Biopolymer‐mediated synthesis and characterisation of platinum nanocomposite and its anti‐fungal activity against A. parasiticus and A. flavus

Abstract

The green synthesis of the platinum (Pt) nanocomposite was achieved using a natural biopolymer gum kondagogu (GK), a widely preferred reducing agent because of its biocompatible and biodegradable nature. The synthesised GK Pt nanoparticle (GKPtNP) were characterised by using different analytical techniques such as ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The objective of the present work was to evaluate the anti-fungal activity of GKPtNP against two strains Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus for the first time. The results revealed that GKPtNP-treated fungal cell suspensions showed the minimum inhibitory concentration of 10 μg ml−1 for both the strains and exhibited IC50 values as 37.2 and 29.4 μg ml−1, against A. parasiticus and A. flavus. The mechanism of action of Pt nanocomposite on fungi outer membrane and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was elucidated. It was observed that the interaction of GKPtNP caused destabilisation of fungal outer membrane signifying elevated levels of ROS leading to oxidative stress. In conclusion, the Pt nanocomposite materials acted as a fungicidal agent against A. parasiticus and A. flavus and give a significant scope in various biomedical applications.