Utilization of ovalbumin and visible light irradiation for efficient and eco‐friendly production of AgNPs composite

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most widely used antimicrobial agents. However, due to the potential problems of environmental pollution and high energy consumption, a green and efficient synthesis strategy of AgNPs is urgently required. Ovalbumin (OVA) is the most abundant protein in egg whites, and its extraction process is simple and productive. This paper reported a new green synthesis method of AgNPs by using OVA as an assistant accompanying with a visible light irradiation. Together with the reduction of silver ions, the uniformly dispersed OVA‐AgNPs nanocomposite could be formed within 30 min under xenon light irradiation by simple mixing AgNO3 and OVA in aqueous solution. The detailed mechanism study showed that tyrosine residue and peptide bonds in OVA played a major role in the reduction and stability of silver ions. In addition, in vitro antibacterial experiments indicated that 10 mg/L of OVA‐AgNPs, the minimum inhibitory concentration, has a good antimicrobial effect on both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria, fungi, and some drug‐resistant bacteria species within 4 h of treatment, mainly due to the disruption of the structure of bacterial cell and the balance of reactive oxygen species. This work provides a new way for the green and efficient synthesis of AgNPs and shows good prospects for the applications in the field of biomedical materials and functional nanomaterials.