Green synthesis of copper nanoparticles extracted from guar seedling under Cu heavy-metal stress by Trichoderma harzianum and their bio-efficacy evaluation against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

Abstract

Copper nanoparticles were successfully synthesized with the help of the agriculturally bene cial fungus Trichoderma harzianum through a simple green and eco-friendly route. The objectives of this study were to: 1) evaluate the application of Trichoderma harzianum and assess the effect of guar plant cultivation on heavy metal contaminated lands of copper in municipal and industrial wastewaters, and 2) develop a method to increase the antibacterial effects on the risk of two bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli). Two factors were investigated: 1) two copper (Cu) levels, Natural Hoagland Arnold solution as a control, and application of 100 μlit Cu in Hoagland Arnold solution, and 2) two bio-fertilizer levels, no application as a control, and fungus application. Biosynthesized nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis. Diffusion disk, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bacterial concentration (MBC) were used for the antibacterial tests. The results of TEM and SEM showed that the copper nanoparticles synthesize from guar extract, had a spherical structure, and a size of approximately 20 nm. The crystal structure from the XRD analysis, con rmed the synthesized particles as copper nanoparticles. The formation of Cu-NPs was con rmed by the FTIR analysis. Furthermore, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of copper nanoparticles towards bacterial growth were evaluated. The copper nanoparticles and Trichoderma harzianum fungi presented antibacterial activity against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The results suggested that green synthesis of nanoparticles using guar extracts can increase their antibacterial effect. The effect of copper nanoparticles and Trichoderma harzianum fungi on biochemical properties of guar was also investigated. The results showed that the highest antioxidant enzymatic activity and proline amino acid were obtained at 100 μlit Cu and T. harzianum fungi application. Moreover, the results suggested that the use of T. harzianum fungi can be useful in increasing the resistance to heavy metal stress in plants by increasing the activity of some antioxidant enzymes and secondary metabolites.

Biological Nanofertilizers to Enhance Growth Potential of Strawberry Seedlings by Boosting Photosynthetic Pigments, Plant Enzymatic Antioxidants, and Nutritional Status

“…under high temperature stress [ 7 ], cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) under salinity and heat stress [ 8 ], pak choi ( Brassica chinensis L.) under heavy metal stress [ 10 ], and rapeseed ( Brassica napus L.) under salinity stress [ 9 ]. There are studies on bio-nano-copper as a guard against plant pathogens such as on absinthium ( Artemisia absinthium L.) [ 23 ], ginger ( Zingiber officinale Roscoe) [ 24 ], and guar ( Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) [ 25 ]. However, there are very few studies on the effects of Se and CuO bio-nanofertilizers on other crops such as banana [ 11 ] and tomato [ 26 ].…”

Trichoderma: An Eco-Friendly Source of Nanomaterials for Sustainable Agroecosystems

“…T. harzianum was effectively used in the synthesis of copper nanoparticles. CuNPs were tested for antibacterial properties against two bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, using a simple green and eco-friendly method [62]. UV-vis spectrometry, TEM, and EDAX analysis were used to analyze silica and copper nanoparticles.…”

“…CuNPs were effectively produced using T. harzianum, an agriculturally beneficial fungus, in a simple green and environmentally favorable way. CuNPs and T. harzianum fungus were shown to have antibacterial action against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria [62]. The antibacterial activity of the generated AgNPs against Escherichia coli was investigated [85].…”

Exploration and Evaluation of Secondary Metabolites from Trichoderma harzianum: GC-MS Analysis, Phytochemical Profiling, Antifungal and Antioxidant Activity Assessment

“…Some species of this fungus have the ability to clean up contaminated environments. Trichoderma harzianum is one of the various methods for decreasing the detrimental effects of heavy metals on plants [ 16 ]. Sesquiterpenes and diterpenes isolated from Trichoderma species have been shown to exhibit anti-microbial, anti-microalgae, anti-cancer, and phytotoxic properties [ 17 ].…”