Eco-friendly synthesized nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents: an updated review

Abstract

Green synthesis of NPs has gained extensive acceptance as they are reliable, eco-friendly, sustainable, and stable. Chemically synthesized NPs cause lung inflammation, heart problems, liver dysfunction, immune suppression, organ accumulation, and altered metabolism, leading to organ-specific toxicity. NPs synthesized from plants and microbes are biologically safe and cost-effective. These microbes and plant sources can consume and accumulate inorganic metal ions from their adjacent niches, thus synthesizing extracellular and intracellular NPs. These inherent characteristics of biological cells to process and modify inorganic metal ions into NPs have helped explore an area of biochemical analysis. Biological entities or their extracts used in NPs include algae, bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, viruses, yeasts, and plants, with varying capabilities through the bioreduction of metallic NPs. These biosynthesized NPs have a wide range of pharmaceutical applications, such as tissue engineering, detection of pathogens or proteins, antimicrobial agents, anticancer mediators, vehicles for drug delivery, formulations for functional foods, and identification of pathogens, which can contribute to translational research in medical applications. NPs have various applications in the food and drug packaging industry, agriculture, and environmental remediation.

Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles from Althaea officinalis Flower Extract Coated with Chitosan for Potential Healing Effects on Diabetic Wounds by Inhibiting TNF-α and IL-6/IL-1β Signaling Pathways

“…Nutrient agar medium was poured into Petri plates, and wells were created using a sterile cork borer. 2 , 25 A sterile cork borer loaded with predetermined amounts of ZnO-NPs, A.O . aqueous extract, and A.O .-ZnO-NPs CS gel (100μg) was used to introduce the samples into the wells.…”

“…S. aureus exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 6 µL when exposed to the chitosan gel containing ZnO-NPs. 2,6 As the concentration of CS-NPs increased, the zone of inhibition also increased. Statistical data clearly show that the zone of inhibition for A.O.…”

“…One promising approach is to utilize natural processes involving microbes, enzymes, and biological systems by leveraging these natural processes, it is possible to create green nanoparticles as a substitute for physical and chemical techniques. [1][2][3] Plants include a variety of proteins and phytochemicals that contribute to the creation of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, including copper, zinc, silver, and gold. Plants, that are rich in antioxidants, are perfect candidates, for formulating nanoparticles.…”