Phytosynthesis Of Nanoparticles Research Articles

Nickel oxide nanoparticles with ginger extract: An environmentally sustainable method for antibacterial applications

Attention on phyto-synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) has recently increased due to their low chemical toxicity, which gaining significance in nanotechnology. Our research synergizes ginger extract and nickel oxide NPs to make a new composite of antibacterial potential against bacterial strains, namely: P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, E. coli, and K. pneumonia. The prepared NPs were filled into Polymethacrylic acid (PMMA) films, where they displayed notable bactericidal effects, particularly against S. aureus and E. coli. Three examination techniques were applied to characterize the produced sheets, namely: scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Simultaneously, NiO nanoparticles induced the generation of reactive oxygen species, disrupting bacterial functions, and altering cellular morphology. This study highlights the need for continuous research into effective and ecologically friendly antimicrobial treatments.

Application of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. Extracts for the Phytosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles: Characterization and Biomedical Potential

Nanotechnology can offer a series of new “green” and eco-friendly methods for developing different types of nanoparticles, among which the development of nanomaterials using plant extracts (phytosynthesis) represents one of the most promising areas of research. This present study details the use of lavender flowers (Lavandula angustifolia Mill., well-known for their use in homeopathic applications) for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles with enhanced antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Several qualitative and quantitative assays were carried out in order to offer an image of the extracts’ composition (the recorded total phenolics content varied between 21.0 to 40.9 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalents)/g dry weight (d.w.), while the total flavonoids content ranged between 3.57 and 16.8 mg CE (catechin equivalents)/g d.w.), alongside modern analytical methods (such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry—GC-MS, quantifying 12 phytoconstituents present in the extracts). The formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using lavender extract was studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS)/zeta potential, with the selected nanoparticles having crystallite sizes of approx. 14.55 nm (AgNP-L2) and 4.61 nm, respectively (for AgNP-L4), and hydrodynamic diameters of 392.4 nm (for AgNP-L2) and 391.6 nm (for AgNP-L4), determined by DLS. A zeta potential of around −6.4 mV was displayed for both samples while presenting as large aggregates, in which nanoparticle clusters with dimensions of around 130–200 nm can be observed. The biomedical applications of the extracts and the corresponding phytosynthesized nanoparticles were evaluated using antioxidant and antimicrobial assays. The obtained results confirmed the phytosynthesis of the silver nanoparticles using Lavandula angustifolia Mill. extracts, as well as their antioxidant and antimicrobial potential.

Electrochemical detection and removal of brilliant blue dye via photocatalytic degradation and adsorption using phyto-synthesized nanoparticles.

Herein, we report a sensitive electrochemical platform prepared by modifying the electrode surface with copper-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles; these nanoparticles were prepared via a green synthetic approach using the extract of Cassia fistula leaves and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). For the best response of the electrode modifier, a number of experimental conditions were optimized to obtain the most intense signal of the target analyte Coomassie brilliant blue using a rapid analysis technique square wave voltammetry. The designed sensor displayed remarkable sensitivity for Coomassie brilliant blue with a detection limit of 0.1 nM under the optimized conditions. Moreover, the repeatability, specificity and reproducibility of the designed sensor demonstrated its potential for practical applications. The sensing platform was also used for monitoring the degradation kinetics of the Coomassie brilliant blue dye. Catalytic degradation of the dye was performed using the synergistic effect of Cu-ZnO NPs together with Fenton reagent. The dye degraded by 96% in 60 minutes under neutral conditions, which is one of the main achievements of this work that has never been reported. The photocatalytic breakdown of Coomassie brilliant blue was also monitored using UV-visible spectroscopy. The degradation kinetics results of both techniques agreed well. The adsorption of Coomassie brilliant blue using ZnO NPs was monitored spectrophotometrically. The adsorption data were fitted in a pseudo-second order kinetic model by following the Langmuir isotherm at lower concentration and Freundlich isotherm at higher concentration.

Current Knowledge, Research Progress, and Future Prospects of Phyto-Synthesized Nanoparticles Interactions with Food Crops under Induced Drought Stress

Drought stress threatens global food security and requires creative agricultural solutions. Recently, phyto-synthesized nanoparticles NPs have garnered attention as a way to reduce food crop drought. This extensive research examines how phyto-synthesized NPs improve crop growth and biochemistry in drought-stressed situations. The review begins with an introduction highlighting the urgency of addressing the agricultural challenges posed by drought. It also highlights the significance of nanoparticles synthesized from photosynthesis in this context. Its purpose is to underscore the importance of sustainable farming practices. This approach is contrasted with conventional methods, elucidating the ecological and economic advantages of phyto-synthesized NPs. This review discusses phyto-synthesized nanoparticles, including titanium dioxide, iron oxide, gold, silver, and copper. In addition, we review their ability to enhance crop growth and stress resistance. The primary focus is to elucidate the effects of phyto-synthesized NPs on plant development under drought stress. Noteworthy outcomes encompass improvements in seed germination, seedling growth, water absorption, photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, the activation of antioxidant defense mechanisms, and the modulation of hormonal responses. These results underscore the potential of phyto-synthesized NPs as agents for enhancing growth and mitigating stress. The review assesses the risks and challenges of using phyto-synthesized NPs in agriculture. Considerations include non-target organisms, soil, and environmental impacts. Further research is needed to determine the long-term effects, dangers, and benefits of phyto-synthesized NPs. Nanoparticles offer a targeted and sustainable approach for improving plant drought tolerance, outpacing traditional methods in ethics and ecological balance. Their mechanisms range from nutrient delivery to molecular regulation. However, the long-term environmental impact remains understudied. This review is critical for identifying research gaps and advancing sustainable agricultural practices amid global water scarcity.

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Sea Lavender (Limonium pruinosum L. Chaz.) extract: characterization, evaluation of anti-skin cancer, antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials

In the present study, a green, sustainable, simple and low-cost method was adopted for the synthesis of ZnO NPs, for the first time, using the aqueous extract of sea lavender, Limonium pruinosum (L.) Chaz., as a reducing, capping, and stabilizing agent. The obtained ZnO NPs were characterized using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–VIS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The UV–Vis spectra of the green synthesized ZnO NPs showed a strong absorption peak at about 370 nm. Both electron microscopy and XRD confirmed the hexagonal/cubic crystalline structure of ZnO NPs with an average size ~ 41 nm. It is worth noting that the cytotoxic effect of the ZnO NPs on the investigated cancer cells is dose-dependent. The IC50 of skin cancer was obtained at 409.7 µg/ml ZnO NPs. Also, the phyto-synthesized nanoparticles exhibited potent antibacterial and antifungal activity particularly against Gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739) and the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans (ATCC 10221). Furthermore, they showed considerable antioxidant potential. Thus, making them a promising biocompatible candidate for pharmacological and therapeutic applications.

Grapevine Plants Management Using Natural Extracts and Phytosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles.

Starting from the well-known antimicrobial properties of silver nanoparticles, the goal of this study is to evaluate the influence of two "green" recipes, namely an alcoholic extract of Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott and a dispersion of silver nanoparticles phytosynthesized using the extract on grapevine pathogens. The influence of some grapevine parameters (pith/wood rapport, soluble sugars, starch, total sugars, total water content, length of young shoots, number of grapes) in field experiments was also studied. The study was conducted on four clones (Feteasca alba 97 St., Feteasca neagra 6 St., Feteasca regala 72 St., and Cabernet Sauvignon 131 St.) located in vegetation pots inside a greenhouse. For the phytosynthesis of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) we used a scaled-up technology, allowing us to obtain large quantities of nanoparticles-containing solution. The AgNPs analysis by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the synthesis of spherical and quasi-spherical nanoparticles of 17 nm average diameter and 6.72 nm crystallite size. The field experiments registered different responses of the four clones to the treatment, using both the natural extracts and phytosynthesized nanoparticles solution. Both recipes exhibited a protective effect against the Uncinula necator pathogen. For the treatment using phytosynthesized nanoparticles, significant increases in the pith/wood ratio for white wine clones (Feteasca alba 97 St. and Feteasca regala 72 St.) were observed. The biochemical analyses revealed other significant increases of soluble sugars (red wine clones-Feteasca neagra and Cabernet Sauvignon/second year), starch (Feteasca alba and Cabernet Sauvignon in 2021 for both clones), total sugars (Feteasca alba and Feteasca neagra in 2021 for both clones), and of total water content (Feteasca alba and Feteasca neagra in 2021 for both clones), respectively. The applied treatments also led to an increase of young shoots length and grape numbers for all clones as compared to the control (chemical pesticide), which would suggest a potential biostimulant effect of the recipes.

Phytosynthesis of Biological Active Silver Nanoparticles Using Echinacea purpurea L. Extracts.

With their phytoconstituents acting as reducing and capping agents, natural extracts can be considered a viable alternative for the obtaining of metallic nanoparticles. The properties of phytosynthesized nanoparticles are dependent upon size and morphology, which, in turn, can be tailored by adjusting different parameters of the phytosynthesis process (such as the extracts’ composition). In the present study, we aimed to evaluate, for the first time in the literature, the influence of the extraction method and extract concentration on the morphological and biological properties (antioxidant and antibacterial activity) of silver nanoparticles phytosynthesized using Echinacea pupurea L. extracts. The obtained results revealed that the use of the low-concentration Echinacea hydro-alcoholic extract obtained via classical temperature extraction led to the development of nanoparticles with the smallest dimensions (less than 10 nm), compared with the use of extracts obtained with higher concentrations and the extract obtained via the microwave method. The developed nanomaterials exhibited enhanced antioxidant effects (determined via the DPPH assay) and antimicrobial properties (against Escherichia coli and Candida albicans), compared with the parent extracts.

Larvicidal and pupicidal activity of phyto-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles against dengue vector aedes aegypti

This study aimed to assess the phyto-synthesizing potential of Tarenna asiatica methanol leaf extract as well as its larvicidal and pupicidal potential against Aedes aegypti larvae. According to the findings of this study, the methanol leaf extract of T. asiatica has the potential to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles from zinc acetate dehydrate. Standard analytical techniques such as UV–visible spectrophotometer, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction analysis, Scanning Electron Microscope, and Energy Dispersive X-Ray were used to characterize the phyto-synthesized nanoparticles. The zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized ranged in size from 22.35 to 31.27 nm and was spherical in shape. These nanoparticles demonstrated excellent larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti larvae in the second, third, and fourth in stars, as well as significant pupicidal activity. These findings suggest that the methanol leaf extract of T. asiatica synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles, which could be used to develop mosquito repellents.

Metallic and Metal Oxides Nanoparticles for Sensing Food Pathogens-An Overview of Recent Findings and Future Prospects.

Nowadays, special importance is given to quality control and food safety. Food quality currently creates significant problems for the industry and implicitly for consumers and society. The effects materialize in economic losses, alterations of the quality and organoleptic properties of the commercial products, and, last but not least, they constitute risk factors for the consumer’s health. In this context, the development of analytical systems for the rapid determination of the sanitary quality of food products by detecting possible pathogenic microorganisms (such as Escherichia coli or Salmonella due to the important digestive disorders that they can cause in many consumers) is of major importance. Using efficient and environmentally friendly detection systems for identification of various pathogens that modify food matrices and turn them into food waste faster will also improve agri-food quality throughout the food chain. This paper reviews the use of metal nanoparticles used to obtain bio nanosensors for the purpose mentioned above. Metallic nanoparticles (Au, Ag, etc.) and their oxides can be synthesized by several methods, such as chemical, physical, physico-chemical, and biological, each bringing advantages and disadvantages in their use for developing nanosensors. In the “green chemistry” approach, a particular importance is given to the metal nanoparticles obtained by phytosynthesis. This method can lead to the development of good quality nanoparticles, at the same time being able to use secondary metabolites from vegetal wastes, as such providing a circular economy character. Considering these aspects, the use of phytosynthesized nanoparticles in other biosensing applications is also presented as a glimpse of their potential, which should be further explored.

Synthesis, Characterization and Comparative Anticancer Potential of Phytosynthesized Mono and Bimetallic Nanoparticles Using Moringa oleifera Aqueous Leaf Extract

In this article, we bring up facile one-step phytosynthesis of silver (Ag), gold (Au) and Ag/Au bimetallic nanoparticles by reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO3) and tetrachloroauric acid (HAuCl4) solution, using aqueous leaf extract of Moringa oleifera, known for its medicinal properties. These nanoparticles were evaluated for their cytotoxicity potential against human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2), triple-negative breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231) and breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7). Physical characterization of these metal nanoparticles was done using different nanoparticles analysis techniques, which include UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). Our data suggest that these phytosynthesized nanoparticles showed a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on all the three tested cancer cell lines. However, AuNPs are reported to have higher cytotoxic potential with IC[Formula: see text] value in the range of 9.20–21.46[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]g/mL compared to that of bimetallic NPs (Ag–Au NPs) with IC[Formula: see text] value of 37.22–49.94[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]g/mL. Whereas, silver NPs (AgNPs) didn’t show cytotoxic activity till a concentration of 60[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]g/mL in all the three cell lines tested for 24[Formula: see text]h. Hence, this study supports the effectiveness of phytosynthesized AuNPs for the development of anticancer agents.

Electrochemical Properties of Phytosynthesized Gold Nanoparticles for Electrosensing

Gold nanoparticles are widely used in electrosensing. The current trend is to phytosynthesize gold nanoparticles (phyto-AuNPs) on the basis of the “green” chemistry approach. Phyto-AuNPs are biologically and catalytically active, stable and biocompatible, which opens up broad perspectives in a variety of applications, including tactile, wearable (bio)sensors. However, the electrochemistry of phytosynthesized nanoparticles is not sufficiently studied. This work offers a comprehensive study of the electrochemical activity of phyto-AuNPs depending on the synthesis conditions. It was found that with an increase in the aliquot of the plant extract, its antioxidant activity (AOA) and pH, the electrochemical activity of phyto-AuNPs grows, which is reflected in the peak potential decrease and an increase in the peak current of phyto-AuNPs electrooxidation. It has been shown that AOA is an important parameter for obtaining phyto-AuNPs with desired properties. Electrodes modified with phyto-AuNPs have demonstrated better analytical characteristics than electrodes with citrate AuNPs in detecting uric and ascorbic acids under model conditions. The data about the phyto-AuNPs’ electrochemistry may be useful for creating highly effective epidermal sensors with good biocompatibility.

An overview of the phytosynthesis of various metal nanoparticles.

Nanotechnology is an emerging branch of science wherein various valuable molecules with altered properties can be synthesized and utilized for numerous technological applications. Nowadays, nanotechnology is the preferred tool for the agriculture, food, and medicine industries. However, consistent accumulation of toxic by-products during the synthesis of nanoparticles from the established physical and chemical methods imposes an unprecedented danger to the environment and human well-being. The biological route for the synthesis of nanoparticles offers a potential option over the conventional chemical synthesis process due to the involvement of non-toxic and environmentally friendly materials, such as plants, fungi, bacteria, etc. Phytosynthesis, a type of biological synthesis, utilizes various combinations of secondary metabolites from different plant parts (whole plant, leaves, fruit peel, root, bark, seeds, and stem) for non-toxic and environmentally friendly nanoparticles fabrication. Non-toxic and environmentally friendly secondary metabolites derived from plants are the sources of reducing and capping agents during the biosynthesis of nanoparticles which proceeds in a controlled manner with desired characteristics. Phytosynthesis of nanoparticles is also a simple, economic, durable, and reproducible process. The present article is a comprehensive depiction of the synthesis of different metal nanoparticles from diverse plant species.

Phyto-fabricated Nanoparticles and Their Anti-biofilm Activity: Progress and Current Status

Biofilm is the self-synthesized, mucus-like extracellular polymeric matrix that acts as a key virulence factor in various pathogenic microorganisms, thereby posing a serious threat to human health. It has been estimated that around 80% of hospital-acquired infections are associated with biofilms which are found to be present on both biotic and abiotic surfaces. Antibiotics, the current mainstream treatment strategy for biofilms are often found to be futile in the eradication of these complex structures, and to date, there is no effective therapeutic strategy established against biofilm infections. In this regard, nanotechnology can provide a potential platform for the alleviation of this problem owing to its unique size-dependent properties. Accordingly, various novel strategies are being developed for the synthesis of different types of nanoparticles. Bio-nanotechnology is a division of nanotechnology which is gaining significant attention due to its ability to synthesize nanoparticles of various compositions and sizes using biotic sources. It utilizes the rich biodiversity of various biological components which are biocompatible for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Additionally, the biogenic nanoparticles are eco-friendly, cost-effective, and relatively less toxic when compared to chemically or physically synthesized alternatives. Biogenic synthesis of nanoparticles is a bottom-top methodology in which the nanoparticles are formed due to the presence of biological components (plant extract and microbial enzymes) which act as stabilizing and reducing agents. These biosynthesized nanoparticles exhibit anti-biofilm activityviavarious mechanisms such as ROS production, inhibiting quorum sensing, inhibiting EPS production, etc. This review will provide an insight into the application of various biogenic sources for nanoparticle synthesis. Furthermore, we have highlighted the potential of phytosynthesized nanoparticles as a promising antibiofilm agent as well as elucidated their antibacterial and antibiofilm mechanism.

Application of Polypodiopsida Class in Nanotechnology-Potential towards Development of More Effective Bioactive Solutions.

The area of phytosynthesized nanomaterials is rapidly developing, with numerous studies being published yearly. The use of plant extracts is an alternative method to reduce the toxic potential of the nanomaterials and the interest in obtaining phytosynthesized nanoparticles is usually directed towards accessible and common plant species, ferns not being explored to their real potential in this field. The developed nanoparticles could benefit from their superior antimicrobial and antioxidant properties (compared with the nanoparticles obtained by other routes), thus proposing an important alternative against health care-associated and drug-resistant infections, as well as in other types of applications. The present review aims to summarize the explored application of ferns in nanotechnology and related areas, as well as the current bottlenecks and future perspectives, as emerging from the literature data.

Phytosynthesized nanoparticles as a potential cancer therapeutic agent.

Plants are the well-known sources for the hyper-accumulation and reduction of metallic ions. Analysis of various plant extracts has justified the presence of different types of phytochemicals that possess the stabilization and reduction functionalities of precursors to form nanoparticles. Such characteristics make plants as an attractive source for synthesizing eco-friendly nanoparticles (NPs) with potentially less toxicity to the body. Recently, phytosynthesized nanoparticles have been explored for targeted inhibition and diagnosis of cancer cells without affecting non-cancerous healthy cells. The aim of this review is to discuss the characteristic performance of NPs synthesized from various plant sources for the diagnosis and inhibition of cancer. The mode of action of phytosynthesized nanoparticles for anti-cancer applications are also discussed.

Impact of Physical Attributes on Proficient Phytosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Extract of Fresh Mulberry Leaves: Characterization, Stability and Bioactivity Assessment

Application of green chemistry towards phytosynthesis of nanoparticles has gained attention of environment friendly world due to its simple, rapid, stable, eco-friendly and cost-effective property. But there are limitations to this growing interest, as the dimension and geometry of nanoparticles produced through phytosynthesis often varies greatly. To overcome the problem, current study deals with the assessment of reducing effect of the plant extract at different light intensity, pH and temperatures. Current study reports that the optimal condition for phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticles was neutral pH (pH 7), 25 °C and diffuse light (230 lx). It was observed that rapid synthesis of silver nanoparticles takes place with increase in light intensity, alkalinity and temperature, as revealed by quick appearance of dark brown colouration on addition of extract. But rapid synthesis leads to the formation of large size particles with increase in polydispersity as revealed from TEM analysis and were found to be instable through zeta potential analysis. It was observed that at acidic pH nanosilver formation does not takes place, while at low temperature it takes more time for nanosilver formation, but both conditions were found to be unstable. Nanosilver formed at neutral pH and 25 °C under diffuse light gives the size dimension of 18.11 ± 2.55 and 18.94 ± 5.30 nm with zeta potential of + 36.4 and + 37.4 mV respectively indicating stability, besides that they were found to be stable under long storage condition as revealed by UV–Visible spectrophotometric analysis. Silver nanoparticles formed under optimized condition of pH 7 and at 25 °C were found to be bioactive as it showed potentiality to extend the shelf life of post harvest mulberry leaves by 7 days.

Phytosynthesized Metallic Nanoparticles-between Nanomedicine and Toxicology. A Brief Review of 2019's Findings.

Phytosynthesized nanoparticles represent a continuously increasing field of research, with numerous studies published each year. However, with the emerging interest in this area, the quality of the published works is also continuously increasing, switching from routine antioxidant or antimicrobial studies on trivial microbial lines to antibiotic-resistant strains or antitumoral studies. However, this increasing interest has not been not reflected in the studies regarding the toxicological effects of nanoparticles (NPs); this should be a subject of greatest interest, as the increasing administration of NPs in general (and phytosynthesized NPs in particular) could lead to their accumulation in the environment (soil, water and living organisms). The present review aims to present the most recent findings in the application of phytosynthesized NPs as antimicrobial and antitumoral agents, as well as the results regarding their toxicological potential.

Invasive alien plant species: Their impact on environment, ecosystem services and human health.

Ecological perturbations caused by biotic invasion have been identified as a growing threat to global sustainability. Invasive alien plants species (IAPS) are considered to be one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss and thereby altering the ecosystem services and socio-economic conditions through different mechanisms. Although the ecological impacts of IAPS are well documented, there is a dearth of studies regarding their economic quantification, livelihood considerations, biotechnological prospects (phytoremediation, bioenergy, phyto-synthesis of nanoparticles, biomedical, industrial applications etc.) and human health risk assessments of IAPS. In this context, the current panoramic review aimed to investigate the environmental, socio-ecological and health risks posed by IAPS as well as the compounded impact of IAPS with habitat fragmentation, climate and land use changes. To this end, the need of an integrated trans-disciplinary research is emphasized for the sustainable management of IAPS. The management prospects can be further strengthened through their linkage with geo-spatial technologies (remote sensing and GIS) by mapping and monitoring the IAPS spread. Further, the horizon of IAPS management is expanded to ecological indicator perspectives of IAPS, biosecurity, and risk assessment protocols with critical discussion. Moreover, positive as well as negative implications of the IAPS on environment, health, ecosystem services and socio-economy (livelihood) are listed so that a judicious policy framework could be developed for the IAPS management in order to mitigate the human health implications.

A Short Overview of Recent Developments on Antimicrobial Coatings Based on Phytosynthesized Metal Nanoparticles

The phytosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles represents an exciting new area of research, with promising perspectives, gaining in the last decades an increasing importance. Nanotechnology represents an important tool and an efficient option for obtaining particles with controlled morphology and shapes, phytosynthesized nanoparticles (NPs) being a good alternative to remove hazardous reagents. Due to the practical applications of the phytosynthesized nanoparticles, which are mainly associated with their antimicrobial potential, the abundance of scientific literature in this domain is given by researches in the phytosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles (3654 articles) and the evaluation of their antimicrobial properties (2338 papers). The application of phytosynthesized nanoparticles as antimicrobial coatings represented the subject of only 446 works, which lead us to the subject of this review paper. Application of antimicrobial coatings containing phytosynthesized nanoparticles for the development of antimicrobial textiles, other biomedical applications, protection of food (including fruits and vegetables), as well as for other types of applications based on their antimicrobial potential are covered by the present review.

Phytosynthesis and radiation-assisted methods for obtaining metal nanoparticles

Metallic nanoparticles represent an important area of research, as their unique properties can be tuned for the desired application. Several “green” methods were proposed for obtaining metallic nanoparticles, including phytosynthesis (using natural extracts) and radiation-assisted synthesis. The present work studies the differences in terms of biological properties (antimicrobial properties, cytotoxicity and phytotoxicity) of silver nanoparticles obtained using those two very different approaches. The obtained nanoparticles were analytically characterized using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and UV–Vis spectrometry, for the evaluation of their morphological properties, which can be linked to their biological properties. The results showed that the radiation-assisted path led to smaller dimension nanoparticles (7–10 nm), while the phytosynthesis led to nanoparticles with 10–12 nm in diameter (as determined by XRD), depending on the used materials. The phytosynthesized nanoparticles seemed to be more effective antimicrobial agents (effect studied against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231), while those obtained by the radiological path had a stronger mitoinhibitory effect. The growth of the root and of the stem was less affected by the samples containing radiological synthesized nanoparticles. The differences in terms of biological activity observed when modifying the agents used for the reduction of the metallic salt are also discussed.