Bi̇ologi̇cal synthesi̇s of metalli̇c nanoparti̇cles

Metallic nanoparticles can be used in various applications such as in medicine and biotechnology. They can be prepared by chemical, physical and biological methods. Chemical and physical methods are not eco-friendly. Therefore, biological method was more advantageous than the other methods. Bacteria, fungi, algae and plants synthesize nanoparticles such as AgNPs. In this study, AgNPs were synthesized using Prunus armeniaca leaf extract as a reducing agent. Characterization of the biosynthesized AgNPs was done by UV-Visible Spectroscopy, High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX). The color changes and also absorption peak at 422-427 nm showed the formation of AgNPs. XRD analysis confirmed that these nanoparticles were crystalline in nature. TEM analysis revealed that the naoparticles were generally in spherical shape with the average particle size of 24 nm. These nanoparticles showed strong antimicrobial activity against gram negative Escherichia coli, gram positive Staphylococcus aureus and yeast Candida albicans. The minimum inhibitory concentration for E. coli, S. aureus and C.albicans were 0.125, 0.125 and 0.250 g/mL, respectively. Key words: Environmentally friendly synthesis, silver nanoparticles, Prunus armeniaca leaf extract, antimicrobial activity.