In silico and in vitro antimicrobial activity of date-palm aided silver nanoparticles conjugated with drug ampicillin for drug release study

Abstract

Pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other parasites are the primary cause of infectious diseases. According to the World Health Organization, drug resistance will cause 10 million deaths from pathogenic infectious diseases by 2050. Antibiotics are being developed to eradicate infectious microorganisms. Continuous drug use, over time, increases drug-resistant bacteria and endangers human health. As a result, advancements in nanotechnology promise to improve the resolution of drug resistance. Nanoparticles encapsulated with antibiotic drugs are currently used as nanocarriers to eradicate bacteria and increase bioavailability. This study used microwave irradiation to create silver nanoparticles from date palm seed and leaf extract. Ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry was used to confirm the silver nanoparticle synthesis, revealing surface plasma resonance at 420 and 370 nm. The silver nanoparticles were conjugated with the antibiotic drug ampicillin to improve bioavailability. The X-ray diffraction pattern confirms the formation of the crystalline nature of silver nanoparticles. The spherical morphology and size of silver nanoparticles were revealed using field emission scanning electron microscope (50–70 nm) and transmission electron microscopy (14–26 nm). The in vitro antimicrobial activity of silver nanocomposites shows the good zone of inhibition against the microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger, respectively. In addition, in silico molecular docking study was carried out for the twenty biomolecules of date palm. Among them, the compound tricosanoic acid have a good binding affinity (−233.43 kcal/mol) against Salmonella typhi compared with standard ampicillin (−205.76 kcal/mol). As a result, the current study contributes to use the drug-conjugated nanosilver particles which improve the efficacy against microbial pathogens.