Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Muntingia calabura Leaf Extract and Evaluation of Antibacterial Activities

The present work aims to investigate a green synthesis of AgNPs using Muntingia calabura leaf extract as reducing and stabilizing agents. The AgNPs formation was monitored using UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Characterisations of AgNPs size and shape were observed by TEM. The elemental analysis was analyzed using XDS. The maximum surface Plasmon resonance for AgNPs was detected at 425-430 nm. This study revealed that the AgNPs were polydispersed and polycrystalline nature. The microbial inhibition test against Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus showed that the muntingia leaf-mediated AgNPs had inhibited the growth of these bacteria, as indicated by the formation of inhibition zone. The average inhibition zone for Escherichia coli was 10.3 +/- 0.5 mm and for Bacillus cereus at 9.5 +/- 0.6 mm. TEM results showed that the synthesised AgNPs have spherical form with the sizes ranging from 22 to 37 nm. Hence, the synthesised AgNPs can potentially be applied for water treatment and medicinal purposes.