Antimicrobial Activity of Synthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles using Ajuga bracteosa Leaf Extract

Abstract

Nanoscience and nanotechnology has attracted a lot of attention because of its wide variety of applications. Plant based metallic nanoparticles revolutionized the health sector with targeting nano drug to cure different ailments. Living beings are known to be susceptible to microbial attack followed by multidrug resistance of microorganism put the necessitates for searching more efficient methods of drug delivery or drug production. In the present study, we report the green synthesis of stable hexagonally shaped zinc oxide nanoparticles from leaf extract of Ajuga bracteosa and their antimicrobial efficacy against the selected bacterial (Streptococcus pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and fungal (Aspergillus fumigates and Trichoderma viride) strains by using agar well diffusion method. Initial colour change and surface-plasmon-resonance (SPR) absorbance bands between 349 nm gave support to the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were further characterized by XRD, EDX, TEM and FTIR techniques. XRD analysis showed that nanoparticles are crystalline in nature. TEM measurements showed that nanoparticles are hexagonally shaped with their average size less than 27 nm. FTIR spectra confirms the presence of phytochemicals which were responsible for reducing, capping and stabilizing the nanoparticles. Antimicrobial results of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles has indicated the good potential of nanoparticles against all tested microorganism in the present study.