The “Carpenter,” a substrate for green synthesis: Biosynthesis and antimicrobial potential

Abstract

The frequent use of antibiotics has created favorable conditions for bacteria to develop resistance. Bacterial resistance is an issue for global health killing at least 1 million people worldwide annually. The quest for new and effective antimicrobials with activities against resistance bacteria demands immediate attention. The use of nanoparticles as antimicrobials alternatives to conventional antibiotics may have the potential to combat bacterial resistance. Silver nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles have captivated the interest of most researchers by virtue of their broad-range antimicrobial activity against bacteria due to their strong biocidal effect against microorganisms. Silver nanoparticles have been traditionally synthesized by physical chemical and biological process. However, biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from wings of carpenter bees Xylocopa virginica, which is abundantly available in summer in the United States of America, is yet to be explored. Herein, we report the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using wing extract of carpenter bees X. virginica. Subsequently the biosynthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Visible absorption spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of the biosynthesized nanoparticles was investigated against two common Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria viz Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus using microdilution method. The results of this study indicate that biosynthesized silver nanoparticles from X. virginica wing extract showed an absorption band at 440 nm and SEM revealed spherical nanoparticles 20- 60 nm in size. Additionally, biosynthesizes silver nanoparticles from the wings of X. virginica exhibited antimicrobial activity against all the tested bacteria signifying their biomedical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural potential.