Abstract
Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is an ecofriendly, cost-effective and promising approach for discovery of novel therapeutics. The aim of the current work was to biogenic synthesize, characterize AgNPs using seed extracts of three economically important varieties of date palm (Iklas, Irziz and Shishi), and assess their anti-pathogenic bacterial activities. AgNPs were synthesised then characterised using electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared analyses. The bactericidal activities of AgNPs against five different bacterial pathogens, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae, were determined in vitro. In particular, changes in membrane integrity of virulent bacterial strains in response to AgNPs were investigated. Results of lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase activity assays, and measurement of membrane potential revealed that the cytotoxic effects of the AgNPs were mainly centred on the plasma membrane of bacterial cells, leading to loss of its integrity and eventually cell death. In conclusion, green synthesis of AgNPs is an efficient, cost-effective and promising strategy to combat virulent antibiotic-resistant strains.
Highlights
Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is an ecofriendly, cost-effective and promising approach for the discovery of novel therapeutics
The bactericidal effects of the AgNPs against the drug-resistant strains were assessed by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), measurement of membrane potential, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and intracellular protein leakage
The expected change in colour of the silver nitrate solution upon addition of the water extract of P. dactylifera, from pale yellow to brown, was visually observed. This indicated the ability of the relevant seed extract to reduce the silver nitrate salt into AgNPs due to existence of chemically-active compounds
Summary
Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is an ecofriendly, cost-effective and promising approach for the discovery of novel therapeutics. AgNPs have previously been synthesised from extracts of different parts of the date palm: date palm pollen (Banu et al, 2018), leaf (Aitenneite et al, 2016), wood (Charti et al, 2017), fruit (Zafar and Zafar, 2019), and seeds (Mohammadi et al, 2020).
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