Preparation of a Nanosilver Composite Plant Medium with Antimicrobial Capability through a Nontoxic Method

Xin Zhang,Baoli Shi

doi:10.5772/60913

Abstract

A nanosilver composite plant medium with a good antimicrobial capability was successfully prepared via a two-step method in this work. First, nanosilver particles were prepared in a silver nitrate (AgNO3) solution by using D-glucose as a reduction reagent at room temperature. The effect of AgNO3 concentration levels on the size of the nanosilver particles was investigated. The sedimentation activation energy of the nanosilver particles was also measured. Second, the solvent containing the nanosilver particles was added to a Murashige-Skoog medium (a plant growth medium used in the laboratory for the cultivation of plant cell cultures, which was invented by Toshio Murashige and Folke K. Skoog) to form a composite plant medium. The antimicrobial capability of the composite medium was investigated by cultivating in it some fresh strawberry slices. The results showed that the concentration level of AgNO3 significantly influenced the average size of the prepared nanosilver particles. When the AgNO3 concentration was increased from 1.0×10−3 mol/L to 4.0×10−3 mol/L, the average diameter of the nanosilver particles increased from 52 nm to 72 nm, and the sedimentation activation energy of the particles increased from −20.0 kJ/mol to −63.3 kJ/mol. Images from the transmission electron microscope showed that the size distribution of the particles was within narrow parameters. The results of sedimentation activation energy strongly supported the size results obtained from the TEM measurement. It meant that the preparation method could offer good control over the size and size distribution of the nanosilver particles. The cultivation experiments proved that the composite medium has a good antimicrobial capability. Since D-glucose is a nontoxic material, this method of preparing the composite MS medium with an antimicrobial capability was a ‘green’ method.

Highlights

Contamination is a common problem in tissue cultures [1]
Nanosilver particles were successfully prepared by reducing silver nitrate with D-glucose
When the AgNO3 concentration was increased from 1.0×10−3 mol/L to 4.0×10−3 mol/L, the average diameter of the nanosilver particles increased from 52 nm to 72 nm and the sedimen‐ tation activation energy of the particles increased from -20.0 kJ/mol to -63.3 kJ/mol

Summary

Introduction

Contamination is a common problem in tissue cultures [1]. In the process of developing a traditional plant tissue culture, the bacteria carried or bred using plants are hard to be cleared, and are brought to the medium. The sterilization of the culture medium and workbench is not stringent or the sterilization operation is nonstandard in the process of plant breeding This leads to further pollution, slowing the traditional tissue culture plant growth and decreasing the survival rate. These problems have inhibited the use of plant tissue culture in actual agricultural production and promotion [1,2,3]. If plants can grow under relatively open conditions, investments in manpower and material resources would be reduced This condition would be benefi‐ cial for the promotion of plant tissue culture technology being used widely in the commercial production of young plants. The addition of antibacterial agents to the medium would be beneficial for open tissue culture

Methods

Results

Conclusion