Antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized using honey and gamma radiation against silver-resistant bacteria from wounds and burns

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are promising antimicrobial agents for treatment of wounds and burns. We synthesized AgNPs using honey at different pH values or with different gamma irradiation doses. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, TEM, DLS and FTIR. Their antimicrobial activity, against standard bacterial strains and silver-resistant clinical isolates from infected wounds and burns, was evaluated in vitro through determination of their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). AgNPs prepared using 30 g of honey exposed to 5 kGy gamma radiation had the best physical characters regarding stability and uniformity of particle size and shape. They recorded the lowest MIC values against both the standard and silver-resistant isolates. In conclusion, honey and gamma radiation can be used in synthesis of highly stable pure AgNPs, without affecting the physico-chemical and antimicrobial activity of honey. This offered an advantage in terms of inhibition of silver-resistant bacteria isolates.