In this research article, we have fabricated the zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) with help of aqueous extract of leaf of Origanum majorana and studied their antimicrobial activity. Origanum majorana is one of medicinally important plant of Lamiaceae/Labiatae family. Green-approach of NPs has been favoured over traditional synthesis methods, as plant-based extracts have phytochemicals, which are non-toxic and biologically safe. The phytochemicals such as flavonoids, derivatives of phenol and polyphenolic biomolecules are found to be in aqueous leaf extract of Origanum majorana which used as capping and reducing agents. They include many functional groups such as-OH, -C=O and more which improve the physicochemical properties of NPs and consequently affect their targeting towards specific molecules. Plant mediated synthesis of ZnO NPs with fresh leave extract of Origanun majorana is also simple, quick and provides a vast array of functionalised NPs of particular size and morphology. Herein, ZnO NPs have been prepared with 3 mL of 25% (w/v) of leaf extract of Origanum majorana (Maruva). These synthesized NPs have been characterized using PXRD (Powder X-ray diffraction), FT-IR (Fourier transform-infra-red spectroscopy), UV-Visible spectroscopy, SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) with EDS (Energy dispersive spectroscopy). UV-Visible spectrum shows maximum absorbance at 379.75 nm and energy band gap have been evaluated 2.84 eV using tauc plot. Obtained PXRD pattern shows hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structure which is similar as reported in the literature (JCPDS No-36-1451). The morphology of synthesized NPs has been obtained with SEM images. These NPs are rod shaped with width calculated approximately 90 nm-125 nm and length 0.5μm-1.2μm respectively. The EDS analysis shows the 51.41% of zinc (Zn) and 48.49% of oxygen (O)elemental composition of fabricated nanoparticles. Antimicrobial activity has been performed on gram negative and gram positive microbes with the help of broth dilution method. These synthesized NPs shows very great bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pneumoniae respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) have been investigated 175μg/mL for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 125 μg/mL for Escherichia coli and 100 μg/mL for both the Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae respectively.
Actinomycetes are prolific producers of secondary metabolites majority of which have phenomenal industrial applications. Actinomycetes recovered from cave habitats have generated a considerable interest among the scientific community with respect to their adaptability under such unique environmental conditions. Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand abodes several pristine caves which have not been previously explored for the presence of actinomycetes. The present study has been undertaken to assess the in vitro antibacterial properties of actinomycetes recovered from some of the caves located in Garhwal Himalayan region. In the present study, a total of 127 actinomycetes were isolated from three distinct caves. Majority of the isolates exhibited antibacterial activity against
gram-positive bacteria. Actinomycetes isolates RCM1 and SCMM1 were observed to evince promising antibacterial activities. Members of Streptomyces genus were found to be predominant in all the samples.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.