Mycosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles from Candida albicans and its Antibacterial Activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

Purpose: To produce and characterize silver nanoparticles using Candida albicans and evaluate its antibacterial properties. Methods: Extracellular silver nanoparticles were biosynthesized using C. albicans. The biomass obtained from cultures of C. albicans was used to synthesize silver nanoparticles in 1.5 mM silver nitrate solution. Characterization of the biosynthesized nanoparticles was carried out using ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antibacterial properties of the nanoparticles were determined by agar disc diffusion method against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Results: Incubation of C. albicans with silver nitrate solution produced silver nanoparticles after 2 - 4 h as evidenced by change in the color of the reaction mixture. The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy which showed absorption peak between 300 - 800 nm, being the characteristic wavelength range of silver nanoparticles. SEM revealed the varying morphology of the nanoparticles which had a size range of 20 - 80 nm. Furthermore, the nanoparticles showed significant antimicrobial activity (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles hold some promise for various industrial applications, including drug delivery.