Investigation of antimicrobial nanoparticle synthesis capabilities of benin medicinal plants

Plant-derived synthesis of nanoparticles is a green chemistry approach that links nanotechnology and biotechnology. Considering that almost all antibiotics have gained resistance against microorganisms nowadays, medical plants frequently used against infectious diseases in underdeveloped countries are important. In this study, water, ethanol and methanol extracts of six medicinal plants used in traditional treatment in Benin were used to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNP). The antimicrobial activities of AgNPs synthesized as reducing agents and stabilizers were investigated against nosocomialbacteria and Candida species, which are nosocomial infectious agents. Characterization of the synthesized AgNPs was carried out by UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. AgNP'ler, greatly inhibited growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and Candida species. In addition, the antimicrobial effect of essential oils obtained from these plants were also investigated against strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the hospital environment. This study has shown that essential oils and AgNPs synthesized from water, ethanol and methanol extracts from six leaves of plants have broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and can offer alternative solutions in the treatment of infectious diseases with optimization studies. Keywords: Silver nanoparticle, Antimicrobial, Nosocomial bacteria, Candida